


Rising Evil

by An_Original_Winchester



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Corra is shady, Declarations Of Love, Discovering Their Destiny, Drama & Romance, Everyone Thinks Link And Zelda Are Dating, Evil?, Extreme Denial of Feelings, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Ganondorf - Freeform, Good?, He May End Up Getting Injured, I Should Stop Tagging, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Tagging, Jealousy, Kidnapping, Link is Falling Hard and Fast For Midna, Link is an Oblivious Boy, Malon Thinks Zelda Hung the Damn Moon, Malon and Midna Have Become Best Friends, Midna Really Has the Feels For Link, Midna in Imp Form, Midna is So Mischevious, Our Hero Is Becoming A Hero, Our Princess Is Not a Princess, Probably an Increasing Amount of Blood as the Story Goes On, Rating May Change, Reincarnations of Heros, Self-Hatred, Tags May Change, Tension, The Great Deku Tree Doesn't Have Any Answers, They Are Just Best Friends, Toppling Governments, Valor is Link's Fairy Companion, Warnings May Change, Wolf Link (Legend of Zelda), Work In Progress, Zelda is Even More Oblivious Than Link, Zelda's Father is Homophobic, Zelda's Father is Shady, everyone is shady, possibly, read to find out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-03-16 05:48:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 35,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13629933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/An_Original_Winchester/pseuds/An_Original_Winchester
Summary: Link, Zelda, Midna, and Malon are four best friends in their junior year of high school. Life is flying by with League trials, student body president elections, concerts, and Winter Formal. Not to mention all the schoolwork they have on their plate. So when strange new powers emerge and anxious love starts to bud how will our heroes survive the year? Midland is a place with no history, and what is happening to Link and Zelda is a mystery. One thing is for sure, these teenagers need to be prepared for a rising evil. Will they overcome their challenges  and change their destiny? Or fall prey to a curse laid on them thousands of years ago?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> The story is my own, but the characters are not with the exceptions of my original characters. All other characters belong to Nintendo. Please comment or leave kudos if you enjoy this story! I appreciate you all. Thank you. XO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Through desperation, the three Golden Goddesses must make a difficult decision. This is the creation of Midland.

           

_“Are you sure this is the only way to keep what we worked so hard to create safe?” Din asked from her golden throne in the room of stars. They twinkled dimly, mirroring the seriousness of the current conversation. Din’s long ruby colored hair, normally held up by her ornate golden tiara, fell loose around her shoulders. The goddess stared at her tiara in her hands. So much glorious power resided within her, and yet she felt weak against this never-ending battle. She dared not to look up towards her sister goddesses for fear that she might start to cry._

_“It is not our place to intervene with their free-will, sister. The flood we created centuries ago did not end the evil like we had hoped.” Farore warned her sisters. Her famed mighty courage had designed life itself on their beloved planet. The constant threat of her beautiful creations being destroyed by the reincarnated evil demon, Demise (or Ganon as he has taken to calling himself). The goddess twirled the loose wisps of her emerald colored hair around her fingers as she paced around the room. Farore never liked to sit in her golden throne while she was thinking or wear her golden crown._

_“The flood did not work because we failed to take into account when the evil broke out of his seal that he would remember his hatred and lust to conquer the world.” Nayru reasoned. Without their Triforce to give them their full power, the trio of goddesses are unable to help their dearest land and people as often as they would like. Their new plan would consume more energy than their flood had. If it failed, then the goddesses couldn’t protect anything until they recharged… possibly a millennium later. Nayru’s sapphire colored hair felt tightly wrapped within her golden circlet giving her a headache. This evil demon had made a fool out of her for the last time. She was the Goddess of Wisdom for goodness sake. “If we start over. Have everyone, including him, forget their history. Maybe things will be different when he awakens. He might be different.”_

_“He still has my piece of the Triforce, sister. The Triforce of Power. We do not have the ability to take it from him.” Din reminded the rest of the trio. Din had been hit the hardest from this war over the Triforce. The essence of her power, her strength, has been consumed and pursued by evil. Nayru sighed loudly, as if her plan should be obvious to everyone. Farore stopped pacing to face her sisters._

_“Our lovely Hylia and brave Hero keep their Triforces of Wisdom and Courage when they reincarnate. They are capable of defeating the evil again.” Farore offered hopefully. Farore overcomes obstacles, to have courage one must also have hope._

_“Not if they have no idea how to use their pieces. They will be defenseless.” Din worried. She looked up at the other women now. Sure, she and her sisters were mighty goddesses. They were dressed in beautiful gowns made of colored energy. They lived amongst stars and gold. However, they couldn’t help those whom they adore. In giving them the Triforce as their greatest gift, they lost their ability to help._

_“So, will Demise. They will find allies. They will rebuild. They will overcome.” Nayru said confidently. The sisters fell silent. Farore waved her hand at the floor and a circle of clouds appeared. An image of Hyrule appeared. This was their legacy. It would disappear. The Golden Goddesses would disappear from their minds as well. “Our pieces will give the reincarnations of our chosen ones the strength they need. Some things cannot be forgotten. Their strength will always be within them.” Nayru continued._

_“Is it possible that things will trigger our chosen ones’ memories? After all, their past lives’ memories are stored in the Triforce pieces. Won’t this happen to the evil one as well? That might cause things to backfire.” Farore asked._

_“Our plan will work. Remember this plan has stages. Wiping their memory of Hyrule is only stage one. Trust in me.” Nayru pleaded. The Goddess of Power and the Goddess of Courage looked at each other and then at their sister before nodding._

_“There still could be repercussions that we are unaware of. We might fail them because of this….” Din muttered and grabbed Nayru’s outstretched hand._

_“I understand most of your plan Nayru, but what do the Twili have to do with it anyway? Do we even have the power to remerge their worlds?” Farore asked before grabbing Nayru’s other hand and Din’s free one to make a circle._

_“The Twili are important to our success. All that we have created must be together once again. Trust in the strength, courage, and knowledge of our creations.” Nayru assured her sisters. When they nodded at her she smiled. “Let’s begin.”_

 

            And thus, the kingdom of Hyrule disappeared overnight (buildings and all) after ages of prosperity broken up by attacks from the immortal demon Ganon. The honored spirit of the Hero in green and the bloodline of the Goddess worked endlessly together to seal this evil away.

            The previous inhabitants of Hyrule had their memory wiped from their minds over two hundred years ago now. The many races of beings in this newly unknown land came together in their shared fear and confusion to build a new home for everyone: the nation of Midland. The founders established the Council (made up of a member of each community) to guide the people in their new life.

            The citizens of Midland have not found any answers in their two hundred years of existence. Instead of dwelling on the unknown they chose to live their lives progressing in their pursuits of happiness and knowledge. The descendants of the old kingdom are woefully unaware of the lurking primal evil waiting for its chance to devastate the land once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To set up the world I've created, I thought it would be interesting for everyone to see this interaction between the Golden Goddesses. They are desperate. Hyrule is their legacy, passion, and dream. They love the land and the people in it. It hurts that a great evil grew underneath their noses and abused their gifts to the world. They are desperate to save them, even Ganon himself. This is because of their deep love for their world.
> 
> Leave Kudos and comments if you are enjoying my story. Thank you XO


	2. The Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda has a terrible dream and Link is the only one who can help.

/Link’s POV/

            “Link…” A soft female voice calls from outside the only window in my bedroom. Something periodically makes a tapping sound on the glass effectively making it impossible to continue sleeping. A rock maybe? “Link, c’mon wake up sleepyhead!” The voice calls again. I gaze at the soft moonlight streaming in above my head on the wall and sigh. There is no use in ignoring her, Zelda won’t let me hear the end of it if I do.

             So, I unwillingly stir from my bed and stretch my arms. My room is small. There is enough space to fit an end table, twin bed and a dresser. A small closet is to the left of my bed. I walk towards the window and wave to the blonde girl waiting outside to let her know I was on my way. Dead leaves softly flutter around her feet. Great, it is going to be cold too I bet. Zelda really has bad timing. My green fairy companion, Valor, buzzes her glowing wings softly as she sleeps on her pillow in the window sill. Every time the gossamer things flutter, a light jingle sound occurs like a ringing bell. I smile and gently pet her head. Zelda calls again. Loudly. Great, she is going to wake the neighbors up. Again.

            “Whatever you say princess.” I mumble under my breath. Zelda sure can be persistent. Bossy really. It is an endearing quality mostly, but at times like this it is bitterly annoying. Honestly, she knows I have a hard-enough time sleeping without her coming over to wake me up at odd hours of the night.

            Reaching down to pull on some brown boots and my trusty green hoodie, I climb out through the window, mindful not to disturb Valor and onto the largest oak tree limb I could reach. The old tree is wild and old. Truthfully my landlord should have trimmed it a while ago, but I suppose he doesn’t expect a 6’2’’ seventeen-year-old guy to be climbing in it. My apartment is on the third floor so if I was afraid of heights this would be terrible. It would have been easier to leave through the front door of my apartment building like any normal person, but this is faster in my opinion and a whole hell of a lot more fun.

            The moon is full tonight and it lights the black-blue sky with a faint dusty grey color. The stars are always so bright above in Midland. It is quite easy to get lost in them. I concentrate instead on the task at hand. The oak tree’s bark is rough, but I do this all the time, so it doesn’t faze me. As I move down the tree my foot breaks a limb. See? The damn thing needs to be trimmed. The sharp sound cuts the silence outside. Cursing, I adjust myself not too far from the ground to safely drop.

            “Well you sure took your sweet time, didn’t you?” Zelda teases as I drop down in front of her. Her long blonde hair is messily tied up with a blue ribbon revealing her pointed ears. The free wisps of hair threaten to completely cover her heart shaped face and thin brows. Sleep is still evident in her blue eyes. They are a bit puffy from crying maybe. The cold night air again swept up the leaves on the ground causing her purple dress to ripple. The tip of her round nose is cherry red, and her teeth chatter from the cold. I brush my hands free of tree bark on my pants and lean against the tree.

            “A phone call or text would have sufficed…Geez, didn’t you bring a jacket? You look frozen.” I scold. As smart as Zelda is, she has always tended to act on impulse without thinking first. Her face twists in mild agitation at my comment, but she doesn’t hide the shaking of her shoulders.

            “I’m fine. I just… couldn’t sleep. I needed to talk to you.” She sighs, and shivers as she stands in front of me. Rolling my eyes, I pull my hood over my head and hand it to her. Without looking me in the eye she takes it and whispers, “Thank You.”

            “Did you have the dream again?” I ask while taking her hand to lead her to sit under the tree with me. As soon as her hand touches mine, I feel sharp electric jolts go up my arm. This has been happening since Zelda’s dreams started two weeks ago. It is probably just static. I absently scratch the hand that had touched her.

            “Yes, I did, and it is still terrible. There was fire burning down the city and everyone in it. I knew that you were in pain. I could feel it in my heart, but I couldn’t find you. It was all my fault. I still feel responsible even awake now.” Zelda’s eyes fill up with tears. I wrap my arm around her and she rests her head on my shoulder. My job as Zelda’s best friend is to be her shoulder to cry on. Feeling helpless isn’t an option when she needs me. So why do I feel that way?

             Zelda and I have known each other since we were three years old. We met while I was running through the large field outside of town following a large owl flying in the sky. Even at three years old she was bossy and persistent, after seeing me run around she followed me and wondered away from her mother.

 

_“Hey boy, where are you going?” Zelda called behind me. I stopped running and stood to face her. The day was cloudless, and the blue sky showed no signs of movement. Her red sun dress bounced along the flowers at her sandaled feet and her pigtails were messy. Pointed ears poked out behind blond hair. Sunshine made her hair glow like gold. Just like mine._

_“To follow the owl.” I answered. She scrunched up her nose and looked at the sky. The owl was long gone. A breeze softly tickled my skin. The warm grass felt good on my bare feet._

_“There’s no owl, silly.” She giggled. I stamped my left foot. Of course, there had been an owl. What a silly girl not to see the huge thing that had been in the sky. The shadow it cast on the ground was larger than me when it flew over._

_“I saw him, and he was huuuuge.” I motioned with my arms the size of the bird I had seen. She giggled and sat on the ground. I started laughing too and sat next to her. Her mom started calling for her._

_“That’s my mommy.” She said and looked at me with large blue eyes. “Where is your mommy?” I had no idea where my mommy was. I’ve only ever lived in the forest._

_“Oh, I don’t have a mommy.” I whispered. Instead of looking sad like everyone else does when they talked to me she just smiled._

_“Come talk to my mommy then.” She pulled my hand as we got up to greet her worried mom at the top of a hill behind us. “My name is Zelda. I am threeee years old. See?” She smiled and held up three fingers on her left hand._

_“My name is Link. I am three toooo.” I grinned and repeated the gesture._

            After that, Zelda and I spent almost every day with each other and quickly she became my very best friend. In the beginning, her mom brought Zelda to where I lived in the forest to play sometimes. This made the Kokiri uncomfortable so most of the time I spent my days at their home instead. Her mom loved me like her own son and she was the closest thing to a mother that I have ever had.

            “Nothing is your fault Zellie. Look at me, I am perfectly fine.” I flex my right arm attempting to cheer her up. Zelda gives me a weak smile and grabs my hand to hold. The electric feeling is back again. My palm starts to sweat from the heat of contact to her skin It feels like something is pulling our hands together like magnets. Zelda shifts uncomfortably.

            “Your hand is really warm Link. Too warm. Are you alright?” She pulls her hand away quickly and checks my forehead for a temperature. Finding that it is just as cold at the night air she says, “That is weird…I had better get home before my dad finds me gone. Thank you for listening to me. Nothing comforts me like you do. Can I borrow your hoodie for the night and give it back to you tomorrow?” When I nod yes, she gives me one of her signature smiles: perfect teeth and a crinkled nose. There is something regal about Zelda in the way she walks. _Like a princess._

            Zelda’s dream of fire and pain rings in my mind as well as the reaction between our hands. What could it mean? One word comes to mind, but I hope for her sake that it isn’t true. _Danger_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something confusing and mysterious is happening between Link and Zelda. For this fic I wanted to establish a strong friendship between Link and Zelda. They have know each other since childhood. Link trusts her more than anyone else in the world because she is basically his world. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome XO


	3. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda's father confronts her about her nightly wanderings over breakfast.

/Zelda’s POV/

            I sigh as I look out the white balcony doors towards the rising sun. Golden rays of sun light dance on the pink walls of my bedroom. I have a spacious room on the top floor of my house. It was meant to be the attic, but I have it all to myself. My bed sits across from my balcony doors and in front of the banister built around the opening in the floor for the stairs. I have various pieces of furniture scattered around to fill the rest of the space.

 The wild cuccos in the yard call loudly in their morning ritual. I didn’t get much sleep last night after I came home. The fear of having that terrible dream made me too afraid to even shut my eyes. Instead I chose to read in my mother’s old armchair next to my window and think of happier memories.

 

            _“Little Hero? Little Hero? Where are you? We need help!” My mother’s voice pled playfully. Five-year-old Link giggled as he came out from behind the largest couch in the living room. Valor, his fairy companion, bounced behind him. Her tiny wings barely looked like they could carry her round body, but she managed. It was one of those pleasant afternoons where the air was comfortably warm, we stayed at home. and played pretend._

_“I will save you from the monsters!” Link called bravely and slashed his toy sword into the air. “Stay here, I will chase them away!” He ran out the open door into the yard and chased around some small animal in the grass. His choppy bangs looked tangled from the rough housing. Link could run so fast._

_“Hey! Wait for me Li!” I whined after him. No fair, I wanted to chase monsters too! I jumped from my mother’s lap and followed him with my tiny legs running as fast as they could. The warm air brought the summer bugs instantly buzzing around my head._

_“Sweet Princess, you forgot your bow. It will be hard to protect the kingdom without it.” My mother called, and she handed me my own play weapon when she came near me. I smiled and ran to catch up with Link only to trip on my own feet. Why do I have to be so clumsy?! It’s embarrassing._

_“Ow!” I cried. Tears filled my vision. Link never falls down when he runs. I rub my injured knee with my hand. My white leggings were torn, and my pink sandals were dirty._

_“Are you okay Zellie?” Link asked as he stepped in front of me. I sniffled, accepted the left hand he offered, and he lifted me up off the ground. I wiped my face free of tears with the back of my hand and he gave me a small hug. Link is sweet… for a boy. The thought almost made me snicker_

_“Oh, Sweet Princess you must be careful when you save the kingdom.” My mother said as she kissed my knee. She is so silly, we don’t live in a kingdom. Mother is even better at playing pretend than we are. She always imagines such amazing adventures._

_“Yeah PRINCESS.” Link snickered, and I turned to glare at him. Boys are sooooo irritating._

_“At least I’m a sweet princess and not a LITTLE hero.” I taunted. Yeah... that will show him!_

            Link has always been around to support me. It is difficult to remember any time of my childhood where he wasn’t running around on his adventures and picking me up off the ground when I fell chasing after him. My mother nicknamed him the “little hero” and me the “sweet princess.” I smile at the thought of her always laughing and encouraging our adventures.

           Thinking of those happy times, I absentmindedly itch my hand. Lately it has been burning painfully after I dream. Even more recently, I have been noticing that it burns when I touch Link’s hand too. It’s like a candle flame being held to my skin. Last night his hand had felt so warm that I thought he had a fever, but when I checked his forehead it was as cool as stone. I should really bring it up, but I don’t want to sound crazy. How insane would that be? Hey, touching you makes me feel weird, what’s that about?

            Rising from the armchair, I start my day. Braiding my hair with a purple ribbon, I change into white trousers with a blue blouse then brush. My school work sits on the desk by the balcony along with a poster advertising my run for student body president. I smile, this campaign was good practice for getting on the Council in the future. Father calls from down stairs to let me know breakfast is ready so I hurry and gather things up into my bag with Link’s hoodie. If I forgot that, I would never hear the end of it. What is it with Link and green? It is a little tacky if you ask me.

            “Zelda dear, the biscuits are getting cold.” Father calls from the dining room as I make my way downstairs after brushing my teeth. The sun filters through the windows lighting up the rooms below. A portrait of my father, mother, and I laughing in a garden hung on the wall across from the stairs. Sad emotion clouds my eyes, but I push it away. I don’t need to get into one of those moods today.

            “I know, I’ll still enjoy them.” I reply kissing his forehead as I walk into the room. He smiles up at me as I sit beside him at the table. My father looks much older than he is. He has a full greying beard mustache combo with, and I complain about them all the time, matching bushy brows. He keeps the hair on his head long as well. Father is dressed in a business suit for work today. I grab two biscuits and the jar of orange marmalade. Another pang of sadness hits me as I look at the jar. Our family name is written in lovely handwriting on the label of the reusable jar. Again, I push the feeling away.

            “Where did you sneak off to last night? I heard you come in around two in the morning young lady.” He looks at me with more anger than concern in his eyes. His voice is very stern. I hate when he gets like this. Father can be incredibly intimidating. I swallow the food in my mouth and put on a sweet face.

            “I’m sorry. I had that terrible dream again and I woke up in a panic, so I went for a walk to clear my head. I didn’t realize the time when I came home.” I apologize and eat one of the biscuits waiting for father to respond. He is quiet for a long time. Father likes Link enough to consider him the son that he has always wanted, but I don’t think he will appreciate me going to see him in the middle of the night. He can be strict and paranoid at times. I watch as his hands knit together in thought.

            “What is troubling you so much to cause these dreams? Is there something going on that I don’t know about?” He interrogates as he might a criminal. I shake my head ‘no’ in response. It is true that I have no idea what is going on with me. The dreams are just so real and terrifying. The memory of flames dances in the back of my mind and I wince internally.

            “I must be stressed. Please don’t be worried father I will be fine.” I fake a smile for his benefit. No one can say that I haven’t mastered the proper daughter routine that most fathers want. He sighs, and I finish my breakfast. A green bird flies towards the window sill and I listen to its lovely song. It is nice that some birds stick around during the colder months of the year. I can’t imagine that I could make it through breakfast with my father every morning without their pleasant distraction.

            “I don’t want you to walk alone late at night again. I am quite serious. Midland is safe and peaceful, but you can never be too careful. Your safety is important.” His eyes look sad and I know he is thinking of mother. She disappeared close to ten years ago with no explanation. Everyone fears the worst has happened to her. Now every time I look at a picture of her or at her handwriting, I just feel sad and empty. I imagine that he feels the same.

            “I won’t do it again. I promise. I must get to school now. I’ll see you this evening.” I smile and proceed to leave the house after hugging him. Stepping outside onto the sidewalk, I catch the sight of long auburn hair walking towards me. I smile before I even realize that I am doing it. Malon’s hair is just so gorgeous.

            “Zelda!” Malon waves happily. I return the gesture and walk over to her. She is wearing a pink top with a white cardigan and blue jeans. Her shoulder brushes up against mine when I fall into step beside her. She flashes a bright smile showing off the light dusting of freckles on her round face. Her complexion is seemingly imperfect, but I love it. It gives her more personality. I lock the giddy feeling in my heart away. The secret place where I have a little (BIG) crush on Malon. It is more like a friendly appreciation because I don’t like girls… _not that I think there is anything thing wrong it_ … I just… can’t. Sometimes I think she is interested in me, but I am probably just imagining things. It can’t happen.

            “Hi Malon, how do you feel about the history exam today?” I ask. She makes a face, animating her thin eyebrows, and throws up her hands in defeat. The bangs that shape each side of her face bounce. Malon is always expressive like that, it is very entertaining. Cute. There is a fluttering feeling in my stomach.

            “I can’t remember anything. I try and try. Why do we even have this class if Midland doesn’t really have much of a history to learn? I don’t even need to know history to have a career as a performer, do I?” She groans. Malon is the most musically gifted person I know. She can sing and play almost any instrument you can think of. Truly, she is a virtuoso, and I adore her for it. Who wouldn’t have a crush on Malon? Not me. I have extremely normal feelings of admiration for my best friend.

            “I have been so distracted lately that I haven’t studied for it as much as I normally would have liked. I’m sure we’ll both do fine though.” I smile and give her shoulder a slight bump of reassurance. Malon flashes another smile, pink rising to her cheeks. That! She blushes at me sometimes. Is she just being shy, or does she like me? Do I even want her to like me? My heart does a small jump at my jumbled thoughts. My heart always does this when Malon smiles. Maybe it is all Malon’s excess positive energy rubbing off on me. I’ve needed some positive energy lately.

            “You know you are going to win the election, right? There is no reason to be worried about it. Midna may be particularly good at getting what she wants, but I am not sure she wants this.” She grins. I blush and look away. That isn’t why I am so worried, but the fact she believes in me means a lot. “I mean… not that we don’t love Midna too or anything…” She adds quickly shuffling her feet. For the briefest of moments, I think of brushing those choppy bangs away from her blue eyes…

            “Oh of course you all love me, I am fabulous!” A voice calls from across the street. A tall girl with pale blue-grey skin walks our way. She wears a black hoodie and teal jeans. Her yellow-orange hair sways in a long pony-tail behind her shoulders. “Hurry up Link, you’re slower than a Chu Chu.” The girl calls over her shoulder. One very grumpy Link, visible in the distance, carries two book-bags on his shoulders and a practice sword on his hip. The scene should look silly, but it is a normal occurrence for our friend group.

            “Oh Midna, making Link carry your bag again I see? Aren’t you able to store things in thin air and grab them again later?” I tease. Her red eyes glow with mischief. Her orange hair shifts with yellow energy seemingly on its own. Midna is about two inches taller than Malon and I. Until this past summer she was even taller than Link, but he had hit a growth spurt and filled out. Midna, being Twili, has an exotic beauty to her. There aren’t many that go to our school or even live in town because most aren’t strong enough to walk in the daylight. She practically has a fan club. Who wouldn’t be intrigued by teal glowing tattoos hidden underneath her clothes.

            “Shh, don’t tell him that. He is just too easy to control.” She smiles with an evil glee, holding back a giggle. Midna and I are very different in our personalities which prevents us from being very close, but she makes for a refreshing addition to our team of friends. It wouldn’t surprise me to hear that she has a crush on Link either. I think she might, at least in her own mischievous way. Anyone can see that she is intrigued more by him than any other guy in the school. Her friendship with Link is the only reason she became friends with us after all.

            “I am not.” Link grumbles as he catches up to the group. Although he protests, Link doesn’t give Midna back her bag. Link has never mentioned to me anything about liking Midna romantically. In his own oblivious boy brain, I think he just might. They do act like partners in crime at school. At the very least he likes her teasing. Boy, what an odd angsty teenage bunch we are. Everyone together now, we finish the trek to school with Link and Midna bickering the whole way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter I wanted to establish Zelda's relationship with her father. He is a stern angry man whether this is his personality or as a result from Zelda's mother's disappearance. Their relationship has turned bitter and cold for the most part. Zelda feels like she has to put on a face for him.That is unclear at this point. I also wanted to establish Zelda's hidden feelings for Malon. She doesn't think there is anything wrong with liking girls, but something negative is holding her back. How does she truly feel about her? This is also an introduction into Link and Midna's friendship. They are "partners in crime" does this mean they will soon be more than friends?
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you are enjoying the story XO


	4. The Walk to School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link, Zelda, Malon, and Midna proceed to walk to school.

/Link’s POV/

            I don’t really mind Midna’s teasing. I find the way she puts her hands on her hips and smiles crookedly at me endearing. She has this one crooked incisor tooth that sticks out when she grins. It doesn’t really matter if she is bossing me around or insulting me. I know she doesn’t mean it cruelly. I’m not a push over or anything, but sometimes it is just easier to do what she wants than to refuse her.

            “When do you try out for the Fencing Club Link?” Midna asks as she clasps her hands on the back of my shoulders abruptly. I wince as the practice sword jabs my leg when I walk. This wouldn’t be a problem if Midna would carry her own bag for once. Breath. Don’t get mad Link. She is just trying to get under your skin. You were just thinking about how it didn’t even matter, right?

            “It’s not _Fencing_ Club Midna. It’s called Weaponry League, and I have my trials on the Friday of next week.” I answer and narrow my eyes at her grinning self. It is difficult to stay mad when she looks so happy, but I’ll more than manage. “I don’t fence, and the sword isn’t the only weapon I know how to wield by the way.”

            “Ohhh very manly.” She mocks taking her hands off my shoulders. I frown at her. Does she _always_ have to mock my manhood? Zelda pats my left hand while giving me a small supportive smile. The electric reaction between our hands almost hurts this time. Zelda looks up at me quickly and pulls her hand away. Did she feel it too? I really need to talk to her about this. It isn’t… normal. Midna looks at us, frowns, and looks away quickly. Disappointment tugs faintly in the back of my mind.

            “You’ll do great! Just like Malon will do wonderfully in her concert at the end of the month, as always.” Zelda smiles brightly. Malon giggles on the other side of Zelda and Midna shoots a quick bitter look at Zelda. What’s her problem? Midna wasn’t grumpy earlier while we were walking together, was she? Oh, I don’t know, you can never tell with her.

            “Yes, Malon will play beautiful music to entrance the masses. Link will be Mister-Manly-Knight and protect the land.” Midna tweaks my nose causing me to frown. “I will win the election in two weeks with my charismatic leadership qualities. And Zelda, you of course have your silly little books and good grades to keep you company. Everybody wins.” Midna grins again with an edge to her voice. Geez that was harsh. Midna sure does give Zelda a hard time sometimes.

            “Oh Midna, have no fear when I win the election you will still excel farther as a mage than any other may ever hope to achieve. So yes, everyone does win” Zelda teases but she meant the latter half as a genuine compliment. Midna’s eyes soften and she gave a slight smile. Midna’s success in magic class is a point of pride for her. Voices in the near distance fill my ears. I look to see the large building that is our high school slowly fill up with Zoras, Rito, Gorons, Gerudo, Midlanders, Sheikah, and a small group of three Twili in the large courtyard.

            Midland really is a great place and truly peaceful for the most part except for the secluded areas filled with monsters. The Weaponry League trains people to help defend the land. It’s part of the reason that I am so excited to join. We don’t always get along (The different races and communities), but we always manage to work together for the greater good of everyone. Life can be pretty great here.

            “Link are you ready for the history test today?” Malon asks gently trying to change the previously tension filled air. I turn to face her, shake my head ‘no’, and move to walk next to her on the side not occupied by Zelda. They are walking awfully close together today. Do I see their shoulders touching?

            “Ah you know me, I am more a man of action than of books.” I laugh, and she smiles. Malon and I have been friends with each other since elementary school when we met in kindergarten. Two lonely motherless kids.

 

            _Children from my class ran around the play yard loudly with their friends. Recess had just begun, and I felt a little lost sitting on the bench near the trees. Two Rito girls giggled in a tree above me. Their “whispers” were far too loud for my taste_

_“Poor little Midlander boy. I hear he has no friends.” One of them whispered. The other snickered. I pulled a knee up to my chest and indignantly acted like I couldn’t hear them. Of course, I had friends. Zellie is my best friend. I wish she was here, so we could play. Valor is my friend too. The Great Deku Tree said that school isn’t a place for a fairy, so she had to stay home._

_“I hear that his parents left him in the forest and that he was raised by wolfos.” One girl replied. Really? Yeah, the boy who lives in the Lost Woods must have been raised by demonic wolf monsters. Whatever, they don’t know anything about my mom… but neither do I._

_“Hey! Birdies, someone over there is saying that they eat eggs. Better go tell them off.” A little redheaded girl called to the Rito girls as she approached my bench. The Rito girls squawked angrily and flew off in the directing that the Midlander girl had pointed in. The girl quietly sat on the bench with her palms in her lap and hummed happily._

_“I was fine.” I remarked bitterly. I’m not some weak kid that needs protecting. She looked at me and smiled._

_“I know.” Her freckles dusted her nose and cheeks. She started humming again and looked at the clouds. “They did the same thing to me yesterday you know.”_

_“I’m sorry. They’re just bullies.” I offered. Why would they pick on her?_

_“I know.” She giggled. She was silent for awhile before pointing to the sky. “That cloud looks like a horse! Do you see it?” She looked at me with wide dark blue eyes. I looked where she was pointing._

_“Yeah I do… Do you see that one? Its funny.” I pointed to an oddly triangle shaped cloud._

_“Yeah.” She giggled. We spent the rest of recess studying the clouds. Maybe I can make more friends after all._

            Zelda and I did not share a class together our first year. I must have looked sad or lost because after school that day Malon invited me to play with her father’s horses any day after school. We bonded over stories of adventure and giggled about fairies. At the time, she was the only person that I talked to who seemed to understand the loss of even one parent, and vice versa. I used to think it was terrible that I never knew mine, but I think it might be worse to know a parent and then lose them forever.

            For most of our school life, I went to her house at least three times a week if not more. Malon taught me how to play the ocarina and calm the animals with a song her mother made up. I don’t play much music anymore, but her and I still ride in the fields on the weekends.

            “We are all going to fail!” She whines as we reach the doors of the school. Zelda pats Malon’s shoulder and walks ahead to the classroom with a slight skip in her step. Someone seems to be in a good mood today. Malon waits a moment before following her. Is she grinning? What is going on with those two?

            “I’m not!” Midna exclaims with glee. Midna has always seemed to be good at everything in school, but nothing as great as magic and mischief. No one is quite like Midna, I think to myself fondly. Her eyes and hair are completely unique. I haven’t even seen anything similar among the other Twili.

            “Lucky you.” I grumble. I just can’t seem to care about anything else more than getting in the Weaponry League. I have never really excelled at anything school related except any course involving weapons. Sure, magic interests me, but all I seem to be able to achieve is increasing my stamina or wielding enchanted swords or shields.

            I also can play a few instruments other than the ocarina if my life depends on it, but that skill is so minimal. I can of course ride horses but that isn’t something they teach in school, no matter how much Malon and I beg the administrators for it to be. Nothing else is interesting. I have no gift for healing others, or sciences, and I sure don’t pay attention to history.

            Wielding a sword always feels right. I never seem to miss a target with a bow and arrow. I feel at ease in combat, and this League is my only chance to continue my skills outside of school. I don’t have any idea what else I can do with my life.

            “Yes, lucky me.” Midna teases as she pinches my cheek. Her hand lingers there, and a giddy feeling arises in my abdomen. It is warm, dizzying, and completely unexpected. She looks at me a moment longer before quickly stepping away leaving me confused. I hand her bag to her without looking at her eyes out of fear that she will notice the rising blush coming to my cheeks. She turns around and walks to class without a word. Well that was weird. I watch her walk down the hallway, hair swaying back and forth, and the feeling from before creeps up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is that love brewing in the air? I sure hope it is. Little five year old Link made some friends in an adorable way. Does it surprise anyone how young Malon can be sassy and comforting at the turn of a coin? More to come.
> 
> Tell me what you think in the comments below. Thank you for reading my story. XO


	5. M and M In Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malon and Midna talk about their feelings.

/Malon’s POV/

            My thoughts drift towards the blonde-haired girl sitting in front of me instead of the very important test in my hands. Honestly this test should be holding my full focus, but Zelda’s hair reminds me of beautiful fields of wheat or rippling honey. I just want to hold it in my hands to see if it is as soft as it looks. I can’t stop thinking about this morning and the blush I thought I saw cross her cheeks. I had seen it right? Her cheeks turned rosy and her eyes sparkled.

            I’ve had the biggest crush on Zelda since the first day Link introduced us when we were kids in the second grade. There is no question about it. I remember the moment vividly. She was so determined to do the work by herself at the end. That determination is still with her even now.

 

            _“Maaalon… Mr. Talon said you were back here.” Link called from outside the barn. Excitement bubbled up inside of me as I rushed to meet my friend at the bay doors. Link always helps me get my chores done faster than I would by myself._

_“I’ll be there in a sec; Did you bring carrots for Epona?” I asked eagerly as I looked at the seven-year-old blonde boy. He grinned cheekily, and then I noticed another head of blonde hair next to him. The girl stood up straight with her hands crossed behind her back. Her hair was pulled out of her face by crown braid._

_“Yes, we did. This is Zelda. I hope you don’t mind that I brought her.” He smiled at me and put his hand up to the side of his mouth to conspiratorially whisper. “She followed me, I couldn’t get away.”_

_“Hey!” Zelda exclaimed indignantly by swatting at Link’s chest. My mouth felt dry and clumsy. She had to be the prettiest person that I had ever seen in my life._

_“Of course, you’re welcome here as long as you don’t mind a little hard work. My name is Malon. It is nice to meet you.” I smile at Zelda. Soon we were all working in the barn. Link was much more accustomed to the work than Zelda._

_“What do you mean we have to take her eggs? I can’t just reach under there Link!” Zelda practically squealed. Her hands covered her mouth quickly. Link sighed and went to help her. He did that often throughout the afternoon, until Zelda got the hang of things._

_“Do you need help Zelda?” I ask as she tugs at a bale of hay that is too big for her to lift. She struggled with the thing until eventually she got it to the ground._

_“No thanks. I got this!” Zelda looked at me with shining eyes. Her face was getting red from exhaustion, but she kept working. She pushed the bale along the floor until she got it where we needed it. Watching her work was exciting, and I found myself looking forward to seeing Zelda any time I could from that day on._

            Link and Zelda have always been close. Closer to each other than anyone else. Even though we have our little team of four now, their bond is the greatest. I can’t help but be jealous. They are so open with each other about everything and I am just … not.

            I want to tell her. I want to show her all the great things I have to offer. I sigh and look at my paper again in defeat. Most of the questions are multiple choice, much to everyone’s surprise. I can at least guess the answers now, so hope isn’t lost. I go to scribble on my paper with my pen when I notice faint shiny shadows circle the answers on their own. I glance up and catch Midna’s mischievous smile as she winks at me before turning around. Her orange hair swirls with warm sunset color almost as if it is breathing in its ponytail. Relief fills me, maybe I am not going fail this test today after all.

            Midna and I are nothing alike, but we get along great. I am beyond grateful that she would help me like this without me even asking her to do so. She entered our group sometime in middle school, and when she did, it felt like she had always been there. I return my gaze on Zelda. Does she like Link? Everyone says they will get together one day if they aren’t together already, but they ignore any talk about it.

            Neither have been in a committed relationship for as long as I have known them. Have they kissed each other before? My cheeks grow warm at the thought of Zelda’s lips. I should not care so much about what Link and Zelda do together. It isn’t like she is my girlfriend. Honestly, if I can’t find the courage to tell Zelda how I feel then maybe I should move on. It’s not like she even likes girls. Her father isn’t exactly… supportive… of _those_ kinds of feelings.

            I’ve known that I am attracted to girls since I was young. It isn’t something that I openly talk about, but it isn’t a secret. I don’t think that Zelda or Link know this about me. It isn’t like they have ever asked me about it. Given how her father feels…the fact that I am a girl with _those_ kinds of feelings will probably scare Zelda away. It’s a big reason why I have avoided pursuing her. She hasn’t ever shown any real signs of being into me. Oh, I’m hopeless. Dad is right, the teenage years really do suck.

            Time ticks away at the clock until it chimes that first period is now over. Students hand over their tests to the teacher and pile out of the classroom hurriedly. I walk beside Midna as Zelda catches up with Link to go to their healing class. Midna and I have magic class next before we all share lunch together.

            “Thank you so much for your help Midna. You’re an angel.” I smile and continue to thank her endlessly. She smiles sweetly at me, an expression that isn’t given often because of her dark humor. It is a special treat. She pokes my cheek fondly.

            Midna has a long straight nose, pointed eyes, and an oval face. Paired with her vibrant hair, dark eyebrows, and tall stature makes her appearance strikingly beautiful. It is easy to appreciate why so many guys fawn over her. If I wasn’t so stupidly infatuated with Zelda I could easily see myself being into Midna.

            “Not likely Muse. You help me all the time in music class. If anything, I owe you infinite favors.” She grins again. Muse is Midna’s special pet name for me. She is such a great friend, I’d say maybe even my best friend. My thoughts drift back to this morning when Midna got a little aggressive towards Zelda and internally frown.

            “You didn’t have to be so harsh on Zelda this morning. I know you guys are competing against each for student body president, but you shouldn’t take jabs at her like that. You’re friends after all.” I look at her and her cheeks turn a dusty purple color. Is she blushing? Maybe today is Rare-Midna-Actions-Day. No Malon that is so lame. This is why you are never in charge of naming things.

            “I didn’t do it because of the election. It is just something to do because I am bored, I don’t care about it.” Midna sighs and looks at me. “She was grabbing Link’s hand in front of you. You shouldn’t have to see that. After she was complimenting you too! It isn’t right. She is completely oblivious of how you feel.” She blurts and looks away. Midna knows my feelings towards Zelda so it is touching that she is concerned about me, but I could tell it is more than that. “It hurts you, and that upsets me.”

            “Are you sure that it isn’t because _you_ had to see her grab Link’s hand in front of _you_? It means a lot that you are trying to defend me but…” I pause. “This morning got to you didn’t it? Midna you can tell me because, trust me, I know how it feels. Link is pretty oblivious too.” I smile and put my hand on her shoulder. The Twili doesn’t often voice her inner emotions, but I hope that she knows she can trust me with them. Having suspicions about Midna’s feelings towards Link are different than her actually admitting them out loud.

 

/Midna’s POV/

            “He’s so stupid Mal.” I whisper trying to fight the lump in my throat. We stop walking to sit on a bench close to our classroom. Class will begin in a few minutes, but the hallways are fairly empty now. Malon puts her arm around me. Link is the most amusing guy I have ever met. He is handsome, heroic and if you ask me… a little dumb. Most boys are after all, they can’t help it. He still fascinates me to no end, and Zelda is always there to take his attention away. “If Link and Zelda are going to date then they need to hurry up and do it because this weird emotional limbo is so stupid.” I whisper almost hoping she didn’t hear me.

            Twili aren’t like Midlanders (The race of people that mostly populate the center of Midland. They have those pointy ears and little bodies. Trust me, the Midlanders were overall a weak looking group.). Our emotions run higher and often darker. Our stronger connection to the magic of twilight contributes to this. I like Zelda. She is sweet, strong and obviously Malon thinks she hung the damn moon. So that must count towards something. I like the friendships I’ve made with everyone, but I get jealous when it comes to Zelda’s relationship with Link. It also doesn’t help that it seems like Zelda is stringing Mal along. Either she just likes the attention from her or she really has no clue how Mal feels. I get it. I do. Zelda’s dad is a bigot and has strong conservative opinions, but Zelda can’t pretend that she doesn’t flirt with Malon forever. Can she?

            Anyway, Link is so easy to tease, he always goes along with my pranks even if they are on him. A true partner in crime. He is always so supportive too. How could I not fall for him? When he focuses on something, his eyes remind me of a hunting wolf and that is just absolutely dangerously delightfully delectable. Too much maybe? I didn’t always have a crush on him either, but even in middle school he was just as fascinating. I remember the day we officially met.

 

            _“Oh, looook a Midlander actually got detention? What did you do? Forget to turn in your homework?” I mocked the admittedly cute twelve-year-old blonde Midlander boy who walked in the virtually empty room to sit down. The closer I looked at him, the more I noticed that his knuckles looked badly worn as if he had been hitting something._

_“No.” Is all he replied before deciding on a chair in the back of the room away from me. I huffed and looked out the window beside me. I’d much rather be at home than stuck in here. My hair flew wildly around my face mirroring my frustration. Silence consumed the room. This boy was no fun I decided when I turned to look at him._

_“No talking.” The Gerudo teacher snapped before looking at us sternly and walking out of the room. I looked at the boy again and noticed he was irritably tapping his leg. I doubted he knew he was even doing it. I tried to wait patiently for him to stop, but the sound got progressively more annoying after only a few seconds. Stupid boy._

_“Ugh do you have ADHD or something?” I groaned. I snapped my fingers and my magic locked his feet to the floor. He snapped his head over to glare at me. The boy wasn’t cute he was handsome... I noticed how blue his eyes were then, and how bruised the left side of his whole face was was._

_“Yeah I do…Just leave me alone.” He grumbled and looked away. Why was this boy here? Midlanders typically got away with anything so I usually was alone in detention. You teleport a twilight wolfos into the prinicple’s office one time and you are marked for life._

_“Don’t cry weepface.” I grinned. “What are you in for?”_

_“A fight.” He replied while inspecting his left hand. The closer I looked at it, the more I noticed that his whole wrist was swollen badly. I released his feet and moved to sit next to him._

_“Why were you in a fight?” I asked._

_“Why do you care?” He asked as an annoyed response. Rude._

_“You’re interesting, and I am bored.” I replied nonchalantly. He looked at me and sighed._

_“Some Goron guys were picking feathers off a Rito girl. They wouldn’t stop so, I made them stop.”_

_“But Gorons are like literally rocks…” I gasped. Who was this boy? I looked at the clock and back at the agitated Midlander. He again tapped his foot furiously. Maybe he hates being trapped in this room as much as I do? It felt like a cage and he eyed the exit like a trapped wolf._

_“Hey, let’s get out of here.” I said grinning. He looked at me with surprise._

_“Really? How?” He asked standing up with me. I could tell that he preferred action and craved adventure. I grinned at the thought of fooling the ignorant teacher outside the door._

_“Leave it to me.” I grinned grabbing his arm and summoned a portal out of the classroom and moved us to the edge of the woods. I could have done that earlier of course, but I didn’t really think I would be any happier outside than I was inside before. Not that any of the teachers believed I have this much magical power to do this anyway. Maybe he would make life more fun for me? Everyone is soo boring and I am a bit lonely after all…_

_“Oh, I feel sick. Am I dying?” He groaned and held onto a tree. A mischievous happiness filled me. This was great. “I’m Link by the way, please don’t teleport me again. That was horrible.”_

_“I’m Midna. Life is going to get better for you Link because you are now my side-kick. Lucky you.” I grinned again at the thought of no longer feeling alone._

            Link was so willing to leave with me. He felt as trapped and angry as I did that day. It was the first time I even thought about having a friend, and now through him I met Malon and Zelda. I have _multiple_ friends.

            “How long have you liked him?” Malon asks. I shake my head. I know exactly when I started liking him, but that is just too embarrassing to talk about. This past summer when Link had come back from vacation with his aunt Impa from the ambiguously named “Training Camp,” he had changed. Now three inches taller than me instead of one inch shorter. His chest and shoulders had gotten noticeably broader. Link has always had toned muscles, but now they were also larger. Stronger. Hotter. Anyone would have melted if they saw him.

            His light hair had been progressively getting darker as he got older but now it hung attractively long above his eyes. Long enough to be put up with a hair tie. He just seemed more confident with himself. When I saw him that first day he got back, I practically tripped over my own feet standing next to him. He caught me so gently with strong hands and in that moment, I decided that I was in love. I _MELTED_. It was so embarrassing.

            “I’m not sure. I don’t know when exactly. I sigh. She smiles at me with a knowing look. Malon is such a good person honestly. She probably knows exactly what I am thinking. I mean I had made a fool of myself that day in front of my friends by making too many excuses to touch his tan arms. Luckily now I have much more sense.

            “It’s okay to feel the way you do. Class is about to start, but we can talk about this after school if you want. Come to my house?” She says as she stands up. I nod and follow her. For the next hour I drown myself in magic. Black diamonds shift around me as I manipulate objects to appear and disappear.

            In specialized classes like magic, healing, weaponry, music, etc. each student works on their own individual talents. Not every person is the same in each aspect. I sigh as my thoughts drift towards the blonde swordsman. I’ve seen him practice before. He is aggressive and logical. His hair clings to his forehead as does his shirt from sweat. He moves like it is as natural as breathing. I admire his drive. We are kindred spirits in that way. I am pulled from my private thoughts when everyone in the room gasps abruptly.

            “What the hell?” Link says exasperatedly. He looks around wide-eyed with sleep marks still evident in his pink cheeks. It is obvious he fell asleep in class again. I blush at the sight of him and grow increasingly embarrassed when I see the left over black diamonds of my magic floating around his body. Had I absently teleported him here? One look from Malon told me that I definitely had. Well crap.

            “Go away Link!!” I growl and wave my hand towards him. I watch his confused face melt into the diamond patterned magic. Everyone looks at me strangely before going back to their work. I am wrong, this is now the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to me. Malon pats my hand as she works on putting charms on one of her ocarinas.

            “Maybe daydreaming isn’t very safe for such a powerful Twili huh?” Malon teases trying to ease my embarrassment. I give her a shy smile in response and try not to think about Link. It is going to be awkward at lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well M & M sure have some strong feelings don't they? Are Link and Zelda that oblivious, or is there more going on? Malon's affections grew from when she was young. Can someone fall in love at age seven? Malon also brought up some deeper insight into Zelda's father. He seems to be against gay relationships. How can a member of the Council have such bigoted opinions? Midna fell for Link's glow up moment. Does that seem superficial? It is important to note how angsty Midna felt in her tween years. She felt alone and suppressed because of her magical ability. How do the Twili feel? 
> 
> Also, should I split up the perspective next time? Maybe having Midna and Malon in the same chapter was too much. Let me know all about it in a comment. Thank you. XO


	6. The Aftermath Of Teleporting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link feels sick after Midna teleported him.

/Link’s POV/

            Teleporting during dead sleep is not very good on the stomach. Seriously, I might be sick any second. One minute I am dreaming about three different colored fairies: red, blue, and green. The next minute I am standing in front of Midna’s cute dusty purple face. Cute?... Before I can understand how I got there I am back in my seat next to Zelda and ready to lose my breakfast. The class is all on their feet and staring at me.

            “Sir? May I-” I hold my stomach as I stand up. The Zora professor quickly nods understanding that I am asking to leave the classroom. I quite literally run out of the room. Now after a very unpleasant half hour I am sitting under a tree outside as the lunch bell rings. A trio of Gorons roll by loudly. A tall bright red headed Gerudo girl saunters across the courtyard with a group of Midlander fan boys following her. The sound of laughter and conversation fills the courtyard as more students head out of their classrooms to go eat.

            “Link are you okay? What happened?” Zelda asks softly as she hands me my hoodie and a bottle of water. I lean back and use the hoodie as a pillow. The day is warm enough to not wear a jacket, although I anticipate that to change soon. It is December after all. Zelda sits next to me and puts her hand on mine. My stomach churns badly when I felt the electric current. If I look closely enough I swear that I see her hand is glowing gold. Closing my eyes, I decide the sun is playing tricks on me.

            “I feel sick as a dog, but I’ll be okay. I think Midna was messing with me.” I groan and sip the water. I hate teleporting and Midna knows it. I think back to the look on her face when she saw me and the funny feeling creeps back up. It had been adorable I decide: the shock in her eyes and the color of her cheeks. Until that moment I don’t think I have ever thought about how attractive Midna really is, and now I can’t stop.

            “Oh dear.” She sighs. I look at her with a weird feeling in my stomach. Something different than the feelings I felt this morning with Midna.  Lately, something has changed between Zelda and me. We’ve always been by each other’s side since we were toddlers. Recently, however, it feels like we _must_ be around each other now. It is different, and I can’t explain why I feel like magnets are linking us. I tried asking Valor about it one day and she only spent the afternoon worrying about it. Zelda and I need to talk about this. Now and not later.

            “Do you feel that?” I ask her when my hand buzzes again. She looks at me with wide eyes and nods. Relief fills me. I am not just imagining things then. Good because I feel sick to my stomach.

            “You feel it too? It has been happening for weeks now. I feel… a weird burning. It is kind of scary.” She murmurs and pulls her hand away as Malon and Midna walk up with food in their hands. My stomach churns again at the thought of food. Midna will not meet my eyes as she sits down. I take a second longer than necessary to take in the shape of her face. It could probably fit in the palm of my hand.

            “Feel what?” Malon asks with a raised brow. I curse mentally. I am so close to understanding why I feel weird whenever Zelda touches me, and I don’t need other people to think I am as crazy as I already feel.

            “Nothing…” Zelda says quickly, “Link just feels ill.” She bumps my shoulder to illicit my support. The action makes me feel worse. I am sure my stomach actually fell out of my body.

            “Geez bumping me isn’t going to make me feel better, Zel!” I grumble. Midna looks up at me then, and I lose any ability to speak. Her eyes are unreadable, and suddenly I have never wanted to read something more in my life. Have I really never noticed Midna this way before?

            “Are you okay? I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to do it.” She apologizes. The Twili doesn’t often apologize. I want to tease her about it, but now doesn’t feel like the time. Of course, it is okay. How could she ever do anything wrong?

            “It’s fine, I just hate teleporting. Why did you do it anyway?” I ask. Midna’s face drops and she goes silent. I have half a mind to hold her hand and the other half to stay where I am. Where is all of this coming from?

            “She and I were talking about all the important events going on soon as we were working, and when we talked about your trials Midna was distracted and accidentally brought you into the classroom.” Malon offers nonchalantly as she ate an apple. That makes more sense than it doesn’t.

            “Sure.” I answer. I drink more of the water and lean my head back on my jacket again. The girls start talking about the history test as they eat their lunches. I half pay attention to the giggles proceeding until I hear something interesting. “You didn’t help me with my test!” I complain to Midna. I sit up fast, ignoring the queasiness I felt. Why did Malon get special treatment, but not me? A small pang of jealousy hits me.

            “Well you should have studied.” She sasses, and her crooked incisor makes an appearance. I groan again. I have never been the jealous type. It’s just not like me. Midna doesn’t owe me any kind of special treatment.

            The rest of the day goes by quickly even though I have five more classes. The ill feeling doesn’t go away, but most of the teachers leave me alone. Word must have gone around, about what happened. Now I am laying on my bed as Valor dances around my room. Her wings make those lovely bell sounds as she flies, and a faint green energy trail follows behind her.

            “Why didn’t you take me to school today?” She whines. I roll my eyes. Valor is a brave energetic fairy, but she is also the loudest complainer I have ever met. Her and I became companions the evening after my very first day of school.

 

_“Don’t worry I will get the ball Zellie!” I called behind me as I walked into the tree line. Her and I were playing in her back yard near the woods when she kicked the ball too hard and it rolled out of sight. The farther I walked, in the more aware I was of soft crying. “Who is crying? Are you okay?” I asked looking around for someone that was possibly hurt. Tall trees surrounded me, and I couldn’t see anyone._

_“Down h-here.” The voice said quietly. I investigated a bush of thorns next to me and sure enough a soft green glowing body was tangled in the branches._

_“Oh no, are you okay? What is your name?” I reached down to free the fairy from the branches and held her in my hand. Her poor wings looked crumpled, but she was the prettiest fairy that I had ever seen. I’ve seen lots of fairies in my life too._

_“My name is Valor.” She sniffled and tried to stretch her wings out with little success. Her crying continued._

_“My name is Link. Don’t worry I will help you.” I said proudly with a smile. “Tell me what happened.”_

_“Some bully fairies shoved me in here because I am not a strong flyer yet. I got stuck and they ran away.”_

_“I don’t like bullies. Would you like to come play with my friend and I?” I asked. Valor’s wings perked up with a newfound positive energy._

_“Really? You want to play with me? I would love to. I don’t have any friends.”_

_“Well I am your friend now. Let’s find my friend’s ball.” I smiled and continued my search of the ball with Valor in my hands._

            After I helped her, she promised to always be by my side to help me from that day forward. She has become a close friend and partner.

            “You reused to wake up remember?” I say from behind the pillow on my face. Ever since we moved away from the forest, Valor has insisted on coming to school with me. At least when she wakes up in time to leave the apartment.

            “Oh. Well I missed your whole day! It was so boring here all alone.” She whines and sits on the blanket next to me. “So, have you and Zelda admitted to your ever-lasting love for each other yet?”

            “What? Not this again.” I throw the pillow at her. She laughs lightly. I know that she is kidding. She makes jokes like this all the time to tease me. Valor has known both of us for a long time. Zelda and I are just friends. I love her like a sister, so the feeling is definitely not romantic. Not that anyone believes us. Can men and women not be best-friends without those implications? Geez.

            “Well why else do you spend all your time together? Why else do you get tingles when you touch each other? It is romantic how you like each other. Really it is.” She sighs dreamily.

            “Oh, stop it. Be serious.” I mumble trying not to laugh. She stops fluttering dramatically.

            “Do you still not know why that magnet feeling happens around her? It’s really strange.” Her voice is serious now and filled with concern.

            “No, I still don’t know why it happens, but I do know that she feels it too… It has started to be painful Val. Like I am touching an exposed wire” I think back to the pain earlier and wince.

            “I don’t like the sound of that Link.” Valor’s voice is now laced with worry, and her wings droop. I pat her head to comfort her.

            “Do you think it is possible to suddenly have feelings for someone that you have know for years?” I ask. Valor perks up at the question.

            “What do you mean Link?” He wings are buzzing with excitement.

            “Something weird happened with Midna today…” I blurt out before I thought better of it. I want to lighten the mood, but I’m not sure this is a topic that I am ready to discuss with Little-Miss-Over-Dramatic-Love-Guru. Valor always jumps to way too many conclusions.

            “Define weird.”  She giggles and dances in a heart shape. After explaining the events of the day including the dancing butterflies feeling I had earlier when she touched my face, being teleported, and my momentary feeling of jealousy. After much back and forth, lots of excited squealing, and conspiracy theories, Valor has determined that I have finally realized that Midna is the perfect girl for me. Val has always been under the impression that Midna and I should date. She has been since the first time she met her. They get along famously.

            “Then why haven’t I felt like this before if she is so perfect for me huh?” I ask skeptically. Having a crush on a girl doesn’t mean that we are “perfect” for each other.

            “Because you are a blind teenage boy. Midna is great! She is gorgeous, strategic, and stubborn. Practically you in female form.” Valor teases. That is true Midna is pretty impressive. She has the strongest magical ability of anyone in town. I’m sure if she wanted to rule us all then, she could in a blink of an eye. “Isn’t it exciting falling in love for the first time?”

            “You’re going too far. I just have a crush on her… also I’ve been in love before! What are you talking about?” I protest. It isn’t like Midna is the first girl that I have been interested in. I’ve had girlfriends before.

            “Sweetie, you have never been in a serious relationship before, how could you have ever been in love? Those teenage hormones are crazy. Remember Corra?” She teases. Corra is a Zora girl that I dated briefly over the summer. We were both training at the Sheikah Training Camp run by my aunt Impa. Things were intense and well… it is a long and ultimately embarrassing story. I did think myself in love with her for a time. Although that might just have been her Siren magic working on me, it doesn’t matter anymore. I haven’t told anyone about her except Valor yet.

            “Shut up! I’m done talking about this.” I turn off the light and throw a pillow over my head. I have tried to be in a serious relationship before. I’ve just never had that many strong connections. Most girls don’t want to “compete” with a girl best friend anyway, and I have three of them.

            This is all so confusing. Instead of helping me Valor has just made things worse. My mind races through the whole school year so far. Maybe things haven’t been as sudden as I thought. Her teasing has turned into something more flirtatious since the summertime. She is touches me much more often, and I definitely have been enjoying it. I have found myself intentionally seeking and keeping her attention. It is a daily goal to make her laugh because…that smile… is perfection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zelda feels the connection too? What could it mean? Valor is such a cutie, but boy she definitely ships Link and Midna. Link's growing affections for her are coming on fast, do you think this has been something happening gradually and it just clicked for him? Who the hell is Corra? And what did she do to Link?!!
> 
> Let me know what you think. Feedback is always appreciated. XO


	7. Fighting as Equals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link's Trials have begun and Zelda is beginning to doubt her friend.

/Zelda’s POV/

            The rest of the week flew by all too quickly and then before I knew it so had the next. Midna and I continued to campaign, although Midna admittedly seemed less interested in the event than she had been when it began. Distracted even. Malon would play one of her instruments or sing on the way to and from school. Link trained day in and day out in preparation for today.

              Malon has no weaponry skills of her own, unless you count angrily waving a pitchfork at some younger kids for trying to bully her father’s cows. I personally don’t count that. Midna and I could help him practice though. Midna likes to use twilight infused shackles like whips. I prefer something more typical, so I use a bow and arrows.

              Link of course is an incredible fighter and was able to dodge and best most of what we threw at him. So, it turned out that we were not much help, but he said he appreciated the practice all the same. I think what he really appreciated was the time he was spending with Midna more so than the training. Sometimes it seemed like they forgot I was even there. Link watched Midna attentively to make sure she didn’t get hurt or maybe just to enjoy her, I don’t know. Their banter was playful and verged on flirtatious. It felt like I was intruding on something intimate. One time I left practice early because of how exhausting being the third wheel made me.

 

_“I win.” Link smirked above Midna who was knocked on the ground. He pointed the practice sword at her abdomen. The hair she had so carefully put into a tight bun was messy. The free hair clung to her neck and shoulders. I sat on the grass away from them drinking a bottle of water and watched my two friends._

_“Whatever. I tripped, that’s all. You wouldn’t win every time if I could use all the tricks up my sleeve.” She replied slyly and stood up dusting her hands off on her blue jeans. She straightened the straps of her grey tank top. Link watched her intently._

_“You think so?” He asked leaning his sword on his shoulder. Midna smiled and placed a hand on his chest. Grinning, Link covered that hand with his free one. Midna stepped closer._

_“Yeah I do.” Midna giggled. From the hand touching Link came a large dark shadow in the form of a larger hand. This shadow wrapped around his body tightly and raised him high above her head. The sword fell from his hand. No matter how hard he squirmed, he couldn’t free himself. “I won.” She sneered at him._

_“I don’t know. The view from right here still makes me feel like the winner.” Link smirked and gave her a slow very purposeful look up and down her body. She giggled. I almost vomited._

_“Oh, get a room you two! I am still here!” I yelled at them. They looked in my direction stunned. Before they could say anything, I stormed off. Gross. Gross. Gross. I did NOT want to see my best friend undressing our mutual friend with his eyes today._

            I can’t say that this new stage in their relationship isn’t a good thing though. Midna smiles much more often. Link looks amazed anytime he sees her. I have never seen him so happy with someone. When exactly had they begun to like each other? Link does deserve to be happy, but I can’t help but feel lonely without my constant companion.

            Now the three of us are piled into an arena filled with other enthusiastic spectators waiting for the trials to start. The area beneath the seating is a mix of different terrains: water, trees, rock, fire. My pulse quickens. I really hope Link can do this because there is a big chance that he will get hurt. The trees are tall and thorny. The violent water in and under the arena is crashing fast. The boulders are large and jagged. The fire is raging in and out of the ground as if the earth is angry and breathing.

            “Link is going to be okay right?” Malon gasps and sits closer to me when a rather large man walks into the ring holding a similarly large spiked hammer. After speaking loudly to the crowd, we learn that he is the announcer of the event and a member of the League. Challengers follow behind: men and woman of all shapes and sizes.

             Link soon walks out with a shield strapped to his back. He rolls his shoulders and neck then tosses his sword between his hands while talking to the girl next to him. She is a pink scaled Zora girl in leather battle gear and a large silver spear in her hands. She laughs loud enough for the audience to hear at something Link says. Her right hand runs up and down his arm closet to her. They look pretty chummy, has he always known this girl?  

             “Trash.” Valor mutters under her breath.

             “What?” I ask her. Is she talking about that girl? Does she know her? A green feathered Rito boy with a large bow in his hands brings up the rear of the line.

            “Don’t worry about it…Look at him. He is more than okay, he’s so excited!” Valor cheerfully exclaims as she bounces from my head to Malon’s, like she wasn’t irritated moments before. It is true, Link’s expression is calm but there is something burning in his eyes. A strange anticipation. I don’t know if I would call that intense look excitement. He scans the audience thoroughly and his gaze settles in our direction. His lips curl upwards in a satisfied smile. Midna giggles.

            “But still…” Malon mumbles eying the dangerous ensemble below. Midna ruffles Malon’s hair to comfort her. The Twili fidgets with her own hair as the challengers start warming up by sparring with each other. I don’t think I have ever seen her nervous before. The Zora girl challenges Link immediately by thrusting her spear towards his ribs with well-practiced form. She grins knowingly at him.

           Her tall frame moves gracefully and swiftly towards her target.  Link, without looking directly at her, dodges her attack just as swiftly as it happened. He rushes towards her before she realizes what happened. His sword knocks her spear roughly out of her hands with a sharp _CLANG_ of metal on metal. His right leg kicks the shield attached to her back with enough brute force to send her to the ground. His expression is blank as he looked at her.

            I don’t think it has ever occurred to me that Link would actively fight against a girl. Midna and I trained with him but neither of us sparred so aggressively like the people did below. Link didn’t appear to hesitate when retaliating against the girl. He and I didn’t grow up fighting each other like this. Somewhere in the back of my head I began unknowingly accusing him of not being as heroic as he always seemed. Who fights a girl anyway?

            “Why shouldn’t Link fight the mudfish?” Midna questions defensively. She obviously read the doubt on my face also taking the liberty of nicknaming the Zora girl, I see. “On this battlefield, they are equals. Are they not?” Midna looks in my eyes as if challenging me. Why is she so touchy?

            “It just doesn’t seem…” I began. Right…

            “Right?” Valor spoke with a seriousness that wasn’t there before. “Do you think he is knocking a girl down just because he can? Do you even know Link? Look at him!”

            I did. Now I notice how he immediately helps the girl up off the ground and smiles at her when he hands her spear back to her. He appears to be complementing her weapon. He shows her a better way to hold her spear to make it more efficient when combating someone with a sword. The girl nods quickly accepting the advice, and they begin the attack once more. This time when she thrusts the spear, Link still dodges, but the girl takes the opportunity to swipe his legs out from under him with it.

            Link grins at her from the ground. She comes closer weapon pointed at him, but he shoots up from the rubble and brings the sword against her spear once more. They dance around each other for a while trying to disarm the other. Link is obviously more skilled with his sword than the girl is with her spear, but now I am beginning to understand that they equally share vigor and love for the battle. On this battlefield they are equal players.

            When Link disarms the girl again she swings her leg into his side and unexpectedly the force knocks him into a nearby tree. He begins laughing as he accepts her help to stand up. This time she is the one to praise him and suggests a better way to place his feet when engaging an opponent with more range. The two fighters shake hands and part ways to find other opponents.

            “See? I would think you of all people would think better of Link than that.” Midna grumbles. “He isn’t going to challenge someone who is weaker than him unless they are a threat. Strength is not only found through weapons. Girl or not.” 

            I immediately feel guiltier about doubting my best friend. I have always believed in him. Midna is right he isn’t just going to knock a girl down defenseless. He knew her skill could match his. He brushed off being knocked down like it was nothing, she earned every credit. My heart warms knowing that Link is an even better man than I have given him credit for. Still… something had seemed off between those two. Oh well. I smile at his determined face as he and the other challengers line up the way they had when they entered. The trials are now going to begin.

            “Challengers! Are you ready to see if you have what it takes to get into the League?” The announcer asks. The twenty challengers answer with enthusiasm. “Then let’s begin. Come on out boys.”

            A terrible roaring sound pierces my ear drums. Dark figures charge the people in the arena. The only audible sounds now are weapons clashing and loud screaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Screaming? That doesn't sound good. Corra is here?? What kind of drama will follow? Also Link and Midna really should just kiss already if they are making eyes at each other like that.
> 
> If you have any feedback for me then please feel welcome to comment. I will also consider suggestions. And of course leave some kudos if you like my story. XO


	8. Brutal Nonsense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trials are over, but not without some injuries.

/Midna’s POV/

            “Challengers! Those of you remaining have bested monsters of raging waters, fire, earth, and forest. You all are truly the strongest challengers we’ve had in years. Be proud!” The bulky announcer says to the five remaining challengers. So little people are left and from what I have seen today, I am not looking forward to the next challenge.

            “This has been really terrible to watch.” Malon whispers. She has her hands clasping her knees so tightly that her knuckles are white. Tears are falling over her cheeks silently now, but she was sobbing loudly before. I want to cry too, but I am already cried out. Link’s hair is now dirty brown in places: a mixture of dirt and blood. He looks as exhausted as the rest of them.

            “Yeah it has.” Zelda whispers back. The whole arena is quiet with tension. The League has put these people through non-stop battles in the different environments of the arena. Monsters of all shapes and sizes attacked ruthlessly. Some things that I have seen I wish I could forget. These monsters were just life-like Sheikah technology, so no one was supposed to be killed. That didn’t mean that some of the challengers didn’t get incredibly hurt, and if you weren’t able to stand back up to fight or if you forfeit then you were disqualified. Medics are on standby to help those who are unable to battle.

            The remaining warriors, because they are obviously warriors now, are not exempt from injury. Link especially has been wounded badly. There is a deep gash through the side of his ribs, a cut on his face, and newly forming bruises probably everywhere. Both wounds are still bleeding at a pace that worries me. I am amazed that he can even stand, but that is sheer determination for you. We had watched not ten minutes ago as a particularly large black Lionel stormed a Goron and Gerudo challenger knocking them to the ground. The monster was huge with sinewy muscle and the nastiest snarl I have ever heard from a living creature.

             It was the last monster left to battle. To stop it from trampling the Gerudo woman to death, Link got its attention by throwing his shield at its head. It had bounced off like a toy plate hitting a large boulder. After charging Link with incredible speed, it dug one of his horns clean through Link’s side and slammed him against a tree.

            Clean through doesn’t seem accurate enough. The creature had torn through Link’s gear, clothing, and then completely through his body. His yelp of pain had cut through the arena, and I’m not sure it will ever leave my mind. The creature was effectively stuck in the tree, but that meant Link was trapped as well. It had taken all my willpower in that moment not to teleport him out of there and make sure none of this brutal nonsense could hurt him again, but I knew he wouldn’t want that.

            Link managed to jam his sword through the beast’s throat. The thing fought violently, and Link screamed out in pain again. The pink scaled Zora girl thrusted her spear between the thing’s ribs. It slowed down then, but it still thrashed violently. This launched Pinkie to the ground. With a last arrow to the head from the green feathered Rito boy flying in the air, the Lionel disappeared into blue light. Link had fallen to the ground and coughed up a disturbing amount of blood.

            The remaining challengers rushed to help him up and secure the wound on his side tightly with scraps of cloth. Medics suggested he leave and get treated, but since you were disqualified if you left the arena, Link refused to go. He would still stand and fight for his spot in this League. That’s when Malon had started crying. Zelda went silent and put her face in her hands. Valor who had mostly been the emotional glue that kept us three together fell into my lap.             “He is okay. He can do this.” Valor says adamantly and repeatedly. It is almost like she is trying to convince herself more so than the rest of us. I know Link can do this but being confronted with how dangerous this whole thing had the potential to be is not very encouraging.

            “Congratulations! You have all earned a place within the League.” The announcer turns towards the crowd in the arena. “Let’s hear it for our victors yeah?” The trial is over, and everyone including the challengers look surprised. We all expected more terrible monsters.

            The crowd cheers, and Malon begins crying again, this time from relief. Valor jingles around our heads burning off all her left-over anxiousness. Zelda lets out the breath she has been holding. I just stare at Link. The pride he exudes is contagious. Who wouldn’t be proud of what he has done? Link isn’t even eighteen yet. The five victors celebrate together. The Rito boy high fives Pinkie then pats Link on the back before talking to the Goron and the Gerudo. Pinkie gives Link a kiss on his forehead before they both leave with the others to get bandaged up. I definitely don’t want to take Miss Fishy’s head and feed it to some Twilight Wolfos right now.

            “Come on, let’s get out of here and take Link home.” Zelda says as she stands up. We all follow her and wait outside the side door for Link to walk out. It feels like forever as we watch hundreds of people walk by with injured loved ones. The victors walk out last. I don’t give Pinkie a second glance as she walks next to Link’s side, because when he sees us he leaves her side instantly.

            “Here he comes.” Valor says giddily as she makes her way to flutter around the blonde’s head. He smiles as she nags him over his wounds. The wound on the right side of his face is now covered just below his eye. His fresh clean shirt covers his other wounds and his hair doesn’t look dirty anymore.

            “You look like crap.” I say and cross my arms. Why did I just say that? It is perfectly normal to ask if he is okay. I don’t have to make fun of him. He turns his smile in my direction and my heart does that stupid dancing thing that it does. He walks closer with Valor trailing behind him.

            “Well I feel like crap and your eyes are puffy you know. Have you been crying over me Midna?” He grins at me and brushes a finger across my cheek. It lingers there and the pit of my stomach burns. I blush and push his hand away. I hadn’t even started crying again, there was no reason for him to do that. His blue eyes look deeply at me. Does Link always look this way at me? I hope he does. My blush deepens.

            “Shut up.” I mumble looking away from him. He turns to give Malon a hug because she is still crying, the poor girl. If I was crying like that, would Link wrap me up in his arms too? I scold myself because now is not the time to think like that.

            “A-are you o-okay?” She sobs on his shoulder. He pats her back.

            “I’m okay Mal.” He pulls back and grins at all of us. “I did it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow Link got pretty banged up, but it seems like he is okay. 
> 
> Let me know if you liked this chapter or this story in general in the comments. XO


	9. Apartment Talks and Sunset Walks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malon is a worrywart. Zelda is a neat freak. Midna is getting closer to Link. Poor Link is still an injured mess.

/Link’s POV/

            I really do feel like crap now. Almost as if a large beast impaled my body and crushed me. Almost as if my ex Corra showed up out of the blue and asked if we could work things out. Oh wait, that’s exactly what happened. The girls are shuffling around my little apartment while I lay on my couch dying. Technically I am not actually dying, but the painkillers that the medic gave me are wearing off and it isn’t time for me to take more. Valor is napping on one of her many pillows in the sun somewhere. I swear fairies are like cats sometimes.  Besides Zelda and Valor, no one else has seen where I live.

            “Why is this place so dirty? I was just here last week, and it wasn’t this bad. Doesn’t Impa come in and check on you?!” Zelda nags as she starts straightening up the mess in the living room. Malon follows behind her with a waste basket picking up paper plates and discarded food wrappers. She is right, I don’t think I have ever dusted in this place since I have moved in. I don’t have actual dishes because I am too lazy to wash them. Truthfully, I live like a pig.

            “Impa has better things to do than babysit me all the time. Just because she helps me with this apartment does not mean she needs to take care of me 24/7.” I reply. Impa is the best friend of Zelda’s mother, the representative of the Sheikah in the Council, and a head member of the Weaponry Legue. Quite literally the most impressive person I have ever met in my life. She has taken it upon herself to watch over Zelda and me in her mom’s absence. That makes her like my aunt which is her preferred title, but I think of her more as my big sister. When I decided to leave the Kokiri Forest to live in town the year I started high school, Impa helped me pay for this small apartment near Zelda’s house.

            “So, you just live here by yourself?” Midna askes casually. She lifts my legs up gently before sitting down on the couch with them in her lap. I wince as pain burns up my abdomen. Midna gives me a mischievous grin and gets comfortable by wiggling deeper into the cushions. She lets out a content sigh. Suddenly the pain becomes a little more tolerable. I have gotten very comfortable with how close her and I have gotten recently. Seeing her in the crowd during my trial boosted my courage. I could see her sunset colored eyes from where I stood giving me strength.

            “Yeah, I already lived on my own before I moved here. Impa didn’t have room at her place so she insisted that I get my own.” I answer. Midna rests her arms over my legs and dances her fingers on my knees. Malon is now humming and opening curtains to let the light in. Midna complains that it would be nice if we could keep a room dark for once. Malon argues that the apartment looks a lot bigger than it really is when the windows are open. She is right of course. The kitchen and living room are really just one large room. My bedroom and bathroom are separate. Not much room for anything but the essentials.

            I have a couch, table, and chair in the living room. There is some counter and cabinet space in the kitchen with a refrigerator. That is really all I have in here besides my training gear and the filth Zelda says I live in.

            “You lived on your own? I thought you lived with the Kokiri?” Malon asks. She walks behind me and fluffs the pillow under my head as gently as possible. She then turns around determined to find me a blanket. They really need to stop making this a big deal, I am fine.

            “Stop fussing over me Mal, I am a big boy. I’ll be fine. Zelda stop cleaning please.” I sigh. Zelda complains, again, that I live in filth, but she stops tidying up. She instead stands in front of the couch and insists that I sit up, so she can sit down.

            “Scooch over Li. If you’re so fine, then you don’t get an excuse to be lazy.” I mentioned earlier that Zelda is bossy right? Malon giggles at my childhood nickname and sits in my only armchair across from the couch. As I got older, I stopped letting people shorten my name. It’s short enough as it is.

             I painfully shift around so that I am on the middle cushion with my feet propped up on the coffee table. Midna sits to my right and Zelda to my left. Zelda pats her hand on mine in amusement briefly, and the electric pulse is so painful that I can’t hide my wince. She quickly pulls her hand away. Confusion and pain cross her eyes for a few seconds before we silently reach an understanding. We need to figure out what this is soon and stop touching before it gets worse.

            “ _Zellie,_ if you’re quite done mothering me, I think I’ll answer Malon’s question now.” I tease. Midna snickers and I feel her body rest gently against mine, wisps of her hair tickle my neck. I lean closer to her enjoying the moment. Malon watches us with an amused expression. “Mal, the Kokiri aren’t like Midlanders. I may have grown up living with them until I was fourteen, but they stayed looking and thinking like the children they were when I was a baby. I lived by myself in a tree for as long as I can remember. Well Valor was with me for about nine years, but I was mainly alone. I didn’t exactly fit in with me being a growing adventurous Midlander boy.”

            Malon’s face falls. She had known that I have no parents, but I don’t think she realized that the Kokiri hadn’t really been my family. They aren’t all bad, they just don’t understand me, and they don’t know why the Great Deku Tree told them to take care of a little baby orphan. Neither do I for that matter. If I hadn’t met Zelda, then I probably would still be in that forest and not in school at all.

            “I just realized that this means we can’t go riding horses tonight like we were supposed to. It’s Friday you know.” Malon says sadly. She puts her head in her hands. Malon had really been looking forward to this. She said it was a good opportunity to talk to me about something. I have no idea what it is, but it seems important.

            “What? I can still ride. Epona needs to get out and about. I’m fine.” Malon and I hadn’t taken the horses out together in the past two weekends because we’ve been busy. I was really looking forward to taking care of Epona. I have loved that horse ever since I was a kid and she loves me too. Malon’s dad promised me that I could take her when I have land of my own because she doesn’t trust anyone as much as me.

            “I agree with Malon.” Zelda pipes up. “How about I go riding with you tonight instead, when do you guys usually go out?” Malon’s smile is brighter than the sun shining through the window behind her I swear. Wow, I can’t remember the last time that Zelda has been on a horse.

            “Soon actually, if you want we could go now?” Malon stands up suddenly. Her red hair waterfalls over her shoulders in a mess. Midna begins laughing at the sight and with a flick of her hand twilight sparkles appear around her head. The hair visibly untangles and neatly pins itself up. “Geez M, is there anything you can’t do?”

            “I can’t ride a horse.” Midna teases. Zelda stands up now from the couch and heads towards the door. She shifts her feet awkwardly as if she was having a hard time deciding something.

            “Sure, let’s go. I mean as long as our _little hero_ is okay here by himself.” Zelda sticks her tongue out at me, but in her eyes is anxiety. Does she not want to go? She just offered.

            “Go on and have fun with _my_ horse if you want. I am completely fine to go riding though _sweet princess_ , you don’t have to.” I reply giving Zelda an option to stay. She rolls her eyes at me at my comment and plasters a big smile on her face. And with that, Zelda and Malon head out the door of my apartment and outside. Am I upset that Zelda will be riding Epona? Yes. Am I concerned that there is something bothering Zelda? Also, yes. Am I nervous that Midna and I are alone sitting on my couch. Definitely yes.

            In the past week, I have become increasingly aware of everything Midna and I do together. I love the way she laughs when we walk to school and how she touches me so naturally when we talk to each other. She’s always done that I know, but now I realize how it makes me feel like I am bursting to life. Oh yeah, I adore Midna more than any other girl I have ever met. It is so new, exciting, and scary.

            “Sooo. Do you want to go somewhere and do something?” I ask as nonchalantly as I can while staring at the tree branches outside my window. Being in my small unimpressive apartment is beginning to make me uncomfortable and self-conscious. I’d like to keep spending time with her, but not here.

            “Oh, my goodness is THE Link asking me out on a date? I think I might faint.” Midna snickers at me. Heat rises to my cheeks. Why does she always have to embarrass me like that? I hadn’t said anything wrong… unless she doesn’t like the idea.

            “That’s not what I meant, but even if I had… Look do you want to get out of here or not?” I fight to keep the bitterness out of my voice. Date? I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I’ve never had trouble asking anyone out on a date before. Why can’t I do it now? It doesn’t matter, it’s clear she thinks the idea is ridiculous anyway.

            “Sure, I do. Get up weepface and let’s go.” Midna stands up slowly. I try not to watch the curve of her neck as she stretches, or how long her legs are. She holds out her hand to help me get up. Her blue-grey skin may look cold, but it is pleasantly warm. I leave a note for Valor on the door that says I went out for a walk, conveniently leaving out the fact that I am leaving with Midna. An “I told you so” right now would be very annoying. Midna still holds my hand even as we walk down the stairs.

            She is quiet as we make our way outside. The sun hasn’t set yet, but it will within the hour. It is a nice and calming evening. Midna starts lightly humming a pleasant tune and sets down a path that leads out into the side of the big field just out of town. I ignore how sweaty my palms are becoming. If she isn’t going to let go, then neither am I.

            “Why are we holding hands M?” I ask, hoping that I didn’t ruin the moment. I like this nervous excited feeling burning in my chest. It has been happening so often lately, that I think it might just become a permanent part of me. I just need to talk to her about it. The trek is beginning to tire me out, it is probably too soon to be walking up and down hills like this. My muscles are still sore from earlier, and it’s possible that I have reopened my wound again. I would check, but I can’t bring myself away from the moment.

            “I just wanted to see how it would feel.” Midna answers quietly. If I hadn’t been listening, then I would have missed what she said. We stop walking for a bit.

            “What do you mean.?” I feel like I am missing something obvious and important. Something so close that if I took a step closer then everything would finally be clear, but I stay frozen where I am. I am such a mess.

            “I wanted to see how it felt to be this close to you. As close to you as Zelda is.” She turns to look at me. I can’t read her eyes, but that doesn’t stop me from admiring them. She wants to be like Zelda? Why on earth would she want to be anyone other than who she is now?

            “Zelda and I are close that’s true, but we don’t hold hands.” I feel dumb saying it. Of course, Zelda and I don’t hold hands, that’s ridiculous. “I think you are perfect the way you are…” Midna looks closely at me before smiling brightly. Her crooked incisor making an appearance. It would be nice to kiss that smile…

            “Yeah that’s true.” She grins widely. We start to walk towards a stream with large rocks around it. Even sitting down looking at the horizon Midna still holds my hand. My heart feels like it is going to explode. That’s normal right? Falling in love is supposed to feel this way?

            In movies this would be the romantic scene that the boy would profess his love and kiss the girl passionately after a long day of heroism. This isn’t a movie Link. Since when do I even think about stuff like that? I’ve always been too busy for relationships. Love can wait until you’re older is something I have practically lived by.

            But Midna’s hair looks like fire dancing in the remaining sunlight. Alive and magical. Her skin looks so soft that I just want to run my hands over her shoulders. Her eyes echo the colors of the sky. When had Midna become so…  breath takingly beautiful? If I drowned in her eyes, then I think it would be such a happy way to go.

            “I was really worried about you earlier. You were in so much danger, no matter how brave you were being.” Her voice hitched. She isn’t looking at me anymore, but by the small shakes I could feel in her arm I know she is starting to cry. I hold her hand tighter and lace her fingers with mine. Midna’s hand in mine feels as natural as a sword does.

            “I’m sorry. That beast caught me off guard. It was a lot stronger than I expected.”

            “I wanted to teleport you out of there. I didn’t want you to be hurt anymore.”

            We are silent for a while after that. Normally she doesn’t get emotional in this way. Could she maybe be feeling the way I am? Oh, I hope she is. My heart beats fast, and with every breath I take my head begins to ache.

            “Hey Link… Can we do this again?” Midna asks quietly. Her breathing is slow and steady. She hadn’t looked at me for quite a while now. She isn’t just asking to take a walk with me again. She is asking to spend more time with me.

            “Sure.” Stupid Link. I feel Midna’s head rest on my shoulder in response. Yes, whatever this is, we are doing it again says the rapid beating of my heart. My brain, however, is telling me to stop being stupid and look at the blood now showing through my clean T-shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. I hope everyone is enjoying the story! I really like where it is going, and feedback is very much appreciated. Do you guys like every chapter being a different character? Are there things that I should develop more? I want this to be fun for everyone and not just me. Feedback, advice, or ideas are very much welcome. Thank you for reading! You are wonderful. Sorry for the long note. XO


	10. It can't be that difficult

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malon and Zelda spend some time together. What is this about Winter formal?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, if you are reading this as my first new chapter in awhile, then thank you so much for continuing with my story. I have made many changes within each chapter before this update. Some are small, but some affect the story greatly. Please if you would like to be caught up, then go back and read the chapters again.
> 
> If you are reading this because you are caught up, then great! I thank you as well.
> 
> If you are reading this because you just found this story, then I hope you will continue to do so. Thank you.
> 
> Basically, I thank everyone because you are all great! XO

/Malon’s POV/

            “So, you and Link do this every weekend?” Zelda asks as we walk down the path towards the fence. Four horses flick their tails anxiously and eat some hay in the corner. A young fowl butts his head against the gate in anticipation as we approach. The walk was mostly silent the whole way to my father’s stables which didn’t help my nerves. I wipe my sweaty palms on my pants.

            “Yeah, when we aren’t too busy. My father can’t ride anymore because of his bad back so Link and I take the horses out for him.” I reply. My father had been injured two years ago by lifting objects heavier than he could carry. She hops over the fence without bothering to open the gate and greets the young horse. A blush creeps to my face and I look towards the sky away from Zelda. The sun is going to set soon, a blush color streaks the clouds.

            “Geez, I haven’t been here in forever. I am sorry about that. We used to have so much fun…” Zelda laughs as other horses come over to investigate her excitedly. Ugh, even horses fall in love with her. Why is it so hard to ask her on a date? It’s probably better to ask her, get shut down, and move on then go on pining awkwardly as I am now. It can’t be that hard.

            That is exactly what I wanted to talk to Link about today. Every year, Link and Zelda go together to any school dances that are happening. I intended to ask if Link would be upset if I ask Zelda to go with me instead to the Winter formal this year. I hoped that because he never seemed to enjoy the dances, that Link wouldn’t mind. Zelda of course could always tell me no, but I didn’t want to step on any toes beforehand. What was I thinking? She can’t go to the dance with a girl as a date. I am an idiot for falling head over heels for a girl I can’t have.

            Zelda is always so distracting with her light eyes and genuine smile. How am I supposed to think straight? She is so strong willed and thoughtful. I climb into the pasture and greet the horses along with her. Epona, the white haired, brown bodied mare sulks in the corner.

            My father owns a good amount of land. We have twelve cuccos, four horses not including the baby, and six cows. It is a lot of responsibility for just him and I, but this life is full and happy. Our home and ranch are situated a little out of town among the giant fields. Besides the fences surrounding the property, we only have our modest blue house and red barn.

            “It’s okay.” I mumble in response to Zelda’s apology. I walk over to Epona to soothe her. The mare gets mighty lonely when Link is not around. I’ve never seen an animal love someone so much. “I’m sorry that he isn’t here. You would have been so proud of him today. He was a champion! One day I’m sure that you two will go out on so many adventures.” Epona flicks her tail excitedly as she listens.

            Zelda and I both work quietly with the horses for the next thirty minutes by cleaning their coats of dirt, removing stones from their hooves, and detangling their manes. Zelda is far better at taking care of horses than I remember. It’s nice to see her working like this. That’s not to say that Zelda isn’t a hard worker, but she gives off the vibe that she doesn’t get her hands dirty. Which is true.

            Our conversation begins about mundane school things. She talks about how excited she is to see my concert, and how scared she was for Link today. I talk about how she is up in the polls for the election. The topics are easy going and it is helping me to get lost in the work. It’s nice to concentrate more on the horses than on Zelda. This crush I have has me always feeling dumb in front of her. I never know what to say when we are alone.

            “So, have you picked out your dress for the Winter formal yet?” Zelda asks as I help her place a saddle onto Epona’s back. The mare is being uncharacteristically patient with Zelda. Something she only does with Link. Maybe she knows how close they are. Her words hit me like bricks and I mentally smack myself on the forehead for getting distracted. I wanted time to think things through before this subject came up.

            “Oh uh…” The formal is only a few days after my concert at the end of the month. The school hosts it every December to end the year joyfully for the students. It takes place the day before the Origin Festival which is our lands biggest holiday event. I haven’t even attempted to find a dress yet. Honestly, I don’t want to go if I don’t have anyone to go with. Midna isn’t a fan of these dances so she isn’t going. I really would love if Zelda went with me this year. That’s why today was especially important that I hang out with Link. When was I supposed to get the chance? She is busy with her extracurriculars and so am I.

            An image of Midna and Link on the couch together in his apartment springs to my mind. Things had been interesting this past week between them. Ever since Midna teleported Link during school, it seems that he pays more attention to her. Good attention. He sits and walks almost exclusively next to her. Link looks at her from the other side of crowds even when she isn’t aware. He searches for her anytime he thinks she is around.

            Not that her eyes ever leave his either. When they walk away from each other in the hallway they always look back and grin. It is sweet really. Gross… but sweet. Any time she talks his grins from ear to ear. And they are always finding reasons to touch each other. Honestly, why I ever thought he liked Zelda is beyond me. If this is what it looks like when Link is infatuated with someone then he definitely never had these feelings for Zelda.

            Midna enjoys this attention too. I don’t think she is quite aware what exactly has changed between them, but she has been all too happy to keep this new attention on her. She puts her hands on him when they talk. If they sit next together then she makes excuses to mess with his hair. She laughs brighter, and her mood is much more positive than usual. I caught them with their heads close together once. Whispering…I think. I don’t know. It may have been one of those super angsty moments where two people are about to kiss, but then someone walks in and ruins the moment. If that’s true than I am sooooooo sorry. It is taking Zelda a lot longer than me to get used to it. Link hasn’t ever been this serious about someone.

            I’m glad that Zelda came with me today instead of Link not only because of the time I get to spend with her but also because of the time Midna can spend with him. It is obvious that he adores her the way she does him. I just think he especially needs a bit of a push to admit it and even to do anything about it. Unfortunately, it sounds familiar.

            “I have had my dress for a while now. I love it.” Zelda giggles. “If you haven’t found one yet, would you want me to go with you to help?” She looks up at me and smiles. If my heart wasn’t already jelly, then it is now. Her eyes sparkle intently. When she looks at me like that, it makes me think she likes me. I’m so confused.

            “I don’t know if I am going.” I blurt out. Her eyes widen in shock, the sparkle gone.

            “What? Why?” She asks like it is the most scandalous heart-breaking sentence that she has ever heard.

            “I…” What do I say? This feels like a perfect moment to ask her, but what if she says no? What if she wants to but she has to say no? That could be just as bad as being outright rejected. What do I do then? “We should go together…” I half whisper. For a fraction of a second it looks like she smiles, but then her face is void of expression. Zelda is quiet for moments too long. I look away from her quickly. Oh, this is so embarrassing, she is too sweet to say no. Or…or. Oh, I can’t think. “I-I mean we should all go. A-all four of us. It would be fun!” No. No. No, I don’t want that. That isn’t what I meant, but relief is evident on her face all the same.

            “Sure, that sounds like so much fun. Link and I were already planning on going. You’re welcome to come with us. I hope we can convince Midna.” Zelda hurriedly says. This is the biggest disaster ever. How could I ask that of her? She hasn’t shown any real signs of liking me back. Has she? I need to let this crush go, it is time. Maybe I’ll find someone else to go with. I haven’t been on a date in a long time. It could be fun…

            “Yeah I thought so! Excuse me for a second, would you?” I say sweetly trying not to let my voice crack. I walk calmly towards my house, and when I am sure that I am out of sight I sit abruptly on the ground. The grass is cool and itchy. Not at all the comfort I am looking for. Oh, I need Midna. I can’t handle the rest of the evening alone. I pull out my cellphone and attempt to call her. It goes to voicemail after a few rings.

            At least someone is having a good time tonight. I lay fully down onto the grass. The sun will be fully setting soon. My phone beeps from an incoming text. It’s from Midna.

**“Muse, sry can’t talk. Link’s bleeding. Don’t wry, under control. Have fun, call me tomorrow. XO”**

            Well isn’t that just dandy? With a deep breath I get up and go back to Zelda and the horses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Malon right to worry about admitting her feelings to Zelda? Does Zelda return them? 
> 
> As always, comments are welcome. XO


	11. What Did That Mean?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda has some trouble sorting out her feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short. SOOO sorry. If something doesn't make sense then you probably haven't read some of the details I changed it each chapter. I'm sorry if that is inconvenient or annoying. To stay updated on any changes to the story be sure to subscribe and bookmark! It is hard to write a story and stay committed to all the details. I hope everyone continues to keep reading! New chapter soon. XO

/Zelda’s POV/

             Riding a horse is a great way to clear your head, and clearing my head is exactly what I need right now. It had taken some time for Epona to warm up to me, but now we’re racing throughout the field. The sun is orange and warm on my skin. Epona's white mane whips wildly and hits my skin as we move. Malon and her chestnut coated horse are behind us almost completely out of sight. My heart beats in my chest loudly. I’d like to think it is from how fast Epona and I are traveling, but I would be lying.

            We should go together… what did that mean? She had said it so quietly. Malon's cheeks had glowed pink. A color that made her eyes look brighter. My tongue had felt numb in my mouth when I heard those words and prevented me from replying. What would I have even replied? I can’t say that I wasn’t tempted to think that she was asking me out because that would be another lie. She just as quickly suggested that all of us should go together as a group before I could form any words. That makes more sense anyway, the formal will be a lot more fun in a group. What would Father say if I said that I was going by myself with Malon…?

            I don’t even know what I am feeling now. The wind in my face is helping to clear my worries. I am not running away from Malon, but I am sure that it probably seems that way to her. So, I pull the reigns on Epona back to slow down our speed. Soon we stop next to a fence on a ridgeline. The Gerudo territory is in front of us and the sun is fully set now with purple hues swirling above us. What is wrong with two friends going together to a dance anyway? A wave of bitterness hits me. There isn’t a damn thing wrong with it. Father doesn’t control me or my feelings. Link and Midna sure didn’t want to go, they never do. Father would understand…hopefully.

            “Hey are you okay?” Malon calls from behind me. I turn to look at her over my shoulder. The dusty purple color makes her skin glow softly. A smile tugs at my lips as she comes closer. An image of her and I dancing together under this setting sun fills my mind. A lovely purple dress will look great on her. I just know it. Maybe pink.

            “Yeah I’m fine. I don’t think I realized how fast Epona could run.” I giggle.

            “Yeah, you should see her when Link takes her out. They are like a blur on the skyline.” Malon laughs. My heart tugs again. For once, I don’t really want to talk about Link. I just want Malon to smile at me.

            “We should head back.” I reply as the sky begins to lose the last its sun. At some point Malon’s hair had come loose from the tie Midna had put it up in. It flows down her back in waves. We should go together… Malon’s words still swirl in my head. I want that… so much. As friends of course, friends go together to formal all the time I remind myself. Link and I do every year. Most people think we are dating because of it though, the idiots. Except…couples usually go to formal together, and that’s what father would assume. Malon couldn’t be interested in me like that anyway… could she? I would know obviously. I am, of course, very perceptive.

            “Okay.” Malon replies. Her eyes look distant, but even though it is dark, I know where every freckle on her face is. Yep, I would love to help Malon pick out a dress to compliment those freckles and her eyes.

            “Malon, do you want to go dress shopping this weekend?” I ask quickly, suddenly desperate to hang out together again. Contain yourself Zelda.

            “Sure…we should invite Midna though.” Malon replies after a few seconds. She shifts uncomfortably in the saddle on her horse. Oh. Of course, Midna needs a dress too.

            “We should definitely help her look for one as well.” I smile at her. It is getting too dark now to see her reactions. She only sighs loudly.

            “I can’t do this….” Malon whispers. Disappointment hits me faster than I’d ever expect. What is that supposed to mean? “Let’s go on Sunday, okay? I have a lot of chores tomorrow and I think Midna is free Sunday too.”

            “Yeah that sounds great.” It is harder to smile when Malon is being so reserved.

            “Great. We need to put up the horses.” That is the only sentence she says to me the rest of the evening except “Goodbye, Be safe walking home. I’ll see you Sunday,” as I leave her house. The walk home is cold. The December coldest fronts are finally hitting Midland. Normally I would take the short way back to my house, but I decide that I should check up on Link first, so I take the long way in the direction of his apartment.

             The lights are on as I approach. Valor zooms past the window frame from the left and then again from the right. Midna’s signature wild orange hair is visible. It looks like Link is limp and supported against her shoulder before they both disappear out of view. Worry fills me instantly as I move closer to the building until Midna pops back into view with the most content smile on her face. Midna has been acting much happier lately around Link and vice versa. They will be good together I think. If something is wrong with him, then I am sure Midna can handle. She would call if she couldn’t. So, I turn around and walk home.

            Why does it take me so long to understand personal emotions? I am so good at public speaking and helping people, but I can be blind towards my own feelings. I feel so torn up about the emerging truth I cannot ignore. Oh, what am I going to do??? Well tonight at least I am sure going to try to forget about it. By the time I make it to my house I am exhausted. Falling asleep comes easily to me for the first time in weeks. Flashes of auburn hair, light freckles, and sunset kisses fill my dreams instead of the usual torturous flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What does Zelda mean growing truth? How do you think dress shopping will go? 
> 
> Thanks for reading. Comments are welcome. XO


	12. You'll Be Glad You Showed A Little Boob

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malon and Midna get ready for their dress shopping trip before Zelda gets there.

/Midna's POV/

            “Midna!!! What have I done???” Malon cries out as she works on braiding my hair. If my hair is left free it flies wildly in my face. I am no good at braiding so Mal usually pounces on the opportunity to do so. I think it is helping her calm down. It’s Sunday, dress shopping day, and I am here at her house early to talk Mal off the metaphorical ledge. Honestly, if I had known that she was this upset when she called me Friday then I wouldn’t have let her call go to voicemail. Link wasn’t bleeding _that_ badly.

            “Mal calm down. Even though I despise the idea of dressing up and being surrounded by nonsense people in sequins, I will be there. I think you should be more worried about your concert.” I try to talk sense into her. This concert is coming up soon and it means the difference between getting a scholarship towards college or performing as a hobby. She called me in panic yesterday morning, explaining how she tried to tell Zelda how she felt, but chickened out. She then begged me to come to the formal as a part of the group. Eventually I agreed. I can’t say no to my best-friend. The idea of seeing Link all dressed up is very appealing after all.

            “This is so awkward.” Her voice breaks. If she doesn’t let this go then she will start crying and it will be a mess when Zelda gets here. Malon finishes braiding my hair and I turn around to face her. Oh boy, being a red head shows in her skin when she is upset. She is starting to get pink splotches on her neck and chest.

            “Muse listen, this isn’t going to get solved unless you talk to her. She may not like you back, but she also might. You know that her father is a big influence on her life, that is something to take into consideration as well. You told me on the phone that you want to try to move on, well you aren’t going to be able to do that if you don’t get the answers you’re looking for.” I reason with her. She falls into my arms, so I just hold her tightly. I should become a therapist or a life coach at this point. I need to be paid for this kind of stuff.

            Malon feels everything so strongly. It is the artist in her. If she had a darker edge and was not so bubblegum sweet, then she would remind me of a Twili. As soon as she begins to calm down, Muse stands up and starts searching through her closet for something to wear. I laugh as she throws outfit after outfit at me on the bed. Do I even own half this many clothes? Midlanders, honestly.

            Malon’s bedroom is a lovely shade of pale blue. She has posters of her favorite bands and musicians plastered on her walls. There are shelves dedicated to small instruments and her larger instruments are stored in cases near the bed. Malon’s closet seems small but boy is she throwing an infinite amount of clothing at me. She holds up a cute red blouse next to a pair of jeans and smiles. Mal goes to her bathroom to change and comes back.

            “Do you think this is cute? I never wear this shirt because it is a lower cut than I like…” She trails off looking into the full-length mirror. How can Malon not see that she is a hottie? Why hasn’t some girl come and swooped her up already? People are blind I tell you.

            “You look fabulous. Don’t worry about it. Who knows, maybe a sexy Gerudo lady will catch your eye, and you’ll be glad you showed a little boob… Or a certain Midlander girl. Who knows?” I tease. She turns around and squeals scandalized by my words.

            “MIDNA!” She laughs and throws a discarded dress at me. I wave my hand as it comes towards me and it disappears in black diamonds. “No fair!” She laughs and takes a brush through her hair. I am happy that she is feeling better.

            “Soooo… Link said some interesting things on Friday.” I say slowly with a smile growing on my face. She drops her brush and rushes to sit next to me on the bed.

            “M, I’m sorry that I have been too focused on myself. You better tell me everything right now, you secretive Twili.” She looks at me with excitement and determination. She isn’t going to let me keep this to myself which is good because I don’t think I can contain how happy I am.

            I tell her everything. How we went for a walk holding hands, and how he told me that I was perfect, and how I kind of told him that I care for him. I told her how great I have been feeling and how sweet Link has been looking and talking to me. I also had to tell her how Link’s rib wound opened, and he started to get dizzy. This led to the exhaustive task of half dragging the poor boy back to his apartment, dressing his wound, and giving him his medicine before he passed out on the couch. The words come pouring out easier than ever. I think this is proof that Malon is my best friend, or proof of my growing affections for Link. Maybe both. The more I talk, the more that she smiles.

            “Ohhhhh. You two are going to have cute babies. I wonder who they’ll look like??? Can I sing at your wedding?” She gets on top of her bed and jumps up and down. I fall back and start laughing.

            “You’re being ridiculous, but if I ever do get married then you are the only one that I want to sing at it. Promise to give me the friend discount?” I smile at her. She leans down and hugs my neck. Her hair falls in my face practically choking me. “Girl put your hair up, it is as wild as mine.” I swat at her hair until she sits up. The doorbell rings, and Malon freezes.

            “Pumpkin? Your friend is here.” Malon’s father, Talon, calls up the stairs.

            “Thanks dad.” Mal answers. “Hey M, will you go downstairs and talk to her while I fix my hair and try not to panic?”

            “Sure thing.” I smile. I walk down the stairs and meet Zelda in the living room. Malon’s dad is shuffling around the kitchen making coffee. I love her father, he is a bald rotund mustached man. If I had a dad, then I think it would be amusing if he looked like him.

            “Hey Midna, are you excited?” Zelda asks cheerfully. Her voice is calm, but she is fidgeting with her hands anxiously. Her eyes look puffy as well. I guess everyone is on edge today.

            “Sure.” I snicker and plop down on the couch.

            “Midna, you be sure to take pictures of my pumpkin, please?” Talon asks. I giggle and nod to him which makes him smile. He hums while he sips his coffee. Malon comes rushing down the stairs. It makes me happy to see that she kept her cute shirt on. Her hair is now in a messy fishtail and she has a little bit of mascara on. It’s simple, but perfect. I look to see Zelda’s reaction, and I smirk. Zelda either is surprised by what Mal is wearing or she really likes it because she looks shocked. I hope it is the latter.

            “Hi Mal, you look fantastic.” Zelda beams. I smirk, maybe this will go Mal’s way after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Midna and Malon's friendship is adorable. I love how their friend group is evolving based on everyone's personal feelings.
> 
> Sorry that this chapter was a bit short. More to come. XO


	13. Golden Glow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda shares a secret, and it is Link's first day in the League.

/Link’s POV/

            “Zellie, why are so worked up? It’s just Malon and Midna. Don’t you love dress shopping?” I ask Zelda as I look around my living room for my duffle bag. Why can’t I find anything? This apartment is tiny. Zelda has her head in her hands as she sits on my couch. About five minutes ago Zelda was knocking on my door and practically hyperventilating. Her hair is a mess and she looks like she didn’t sleep very well.

            “I-I can’t. Yo-o-ou don’t understand… Oh, he’s going to hate me.” She gasps between words. I sigh and go to sit next to her because that is a sure sign that she is going to start crying. Zelda isn’t making any sense, and she hasn’t been this incoherent since the first time she told me about her recurring dreams. Zelda falls heavily onto my chest, tears dampening my shirt.

            “Breathe. I’m here. Just breathe.” I whisper and pat her long hair. I’ve noticed that I don’t feel sick around Zelda as long as our hands don’t touch. Valor comes into my peripheral vision dragging my duffle bag into the bedroom. I’ll have to take care of that later. It takes Zelda thirty more minutes to begin to breathe normally.

            “Link, you’re my best friend no matter what, right?” She whispers. What is with girls saying obviously true things as if they are unbelievable? Again, I say that I need more guy friends.

            “Zelda, of course. I’m always on your side.” I reply, and she hugs me tighter before whispering something into my chest. Her body goes rigid and she is silent for a long time. I wish I wasn’t so stunned because maybe I could say something to comfort her. I instead hug her tighter.

            “Don’t tell anyone… I’m not ready to even really talk about it.” She sits up and looks at me in the eyes. I would never tell anyone about this secret, but why does she look so guilty?

            “Zellie… you shouldn’t be ashamed of liking Malon.” I say gently. It is obviously the wrong thing to say because her face grows angry. Zelda throws her hands on my chest and pushes away from me roughly. Golden light spews out of her right hand and in an instant somehow the couch and I are five feet away from Zelda. My chest burns, but there is no mark on my clothing. Her hand is still glowing hot, but she doesn’t seem to notice. How do you not notice… that?!!! I don’t have time to think about that. What. The. Hell. Is. Her. Problem?!

            “I said that I don’t want to talk about it!” Zelda snaps and throws her hand accusingly in my direction. Her hand grows brighter, and tears fall down her cheeks. Seriously, what the hell is going on? Zelda hasn’t ever shown any signs of anything like this. Is it magic? My left-hand twitches painfully.

            “Then why the hell did you come here and tell me?! I am your best friend, you don’t get to just push me around when you aren’t happy! Don’t put your hands on me like that!” I snap at her. I shouldn’t yell at her, because I know that she is just upset. Zelda would never do something like that if she was thinking clearly. This whole glowing hand thing is also terrifying me.

            “I-I…sorry…” Zelda starts crying again. The glowing from her hand stops and she walks over to hug me. “What is wrong with me Link? Something must be wrong with me. Girls aren’t supposed to like girls. Father is going to hate me.” Her tears continue to soak my shirt.

            “Shh… You listen to me. There is nothing wrong with you. Absolutely nothing wrong with how you feel.” I repeat similar things until she calms down. A bitter feeling grows in the pit of my stomach. Zelda’s father, Rhoam, is a good man and has done a lot for me, but he has strict traditionalist worldviews that I don’t agree with.

            As he was growing up Midland didn’t legally support same-sex relationships or even relationships between the different communities. Many of the newer and younger members of the Council changed the laws to become more progressive, but older members like Rhoam who have these opinions still have power. It is Zelda’s dream to become an influential member of this reformed Council. Now her Father’s old-world view is toxically affecting her life. Now she thinks that she is broken. The thought of her father not supporting his daughter’s decisions is disgusting to me.

            After consoling her for what seemed like an eternity, Zelda left to meet Midna and Malon to go dress shopping. I hope that she is going to be okay because she still seemed really distraught. I knew that something was different between Malon and Zelda, but I didn’t know it was this. I hope Zelda can find a way to be happy, because she deserves it. I look at the clock on the wall and curse to myself. I am going to be late if I don’t hurry.

            “Link, I want to come with you. We’re partners.” Valor complains as I rush pack my duffle bag with my practice gear. Today is the first meeting of Weaponry League, and I get to officially start training with Impa and the other leaders. They didn’t give me a whole lot of information after the trials on Friday. I was told only the location of the first meeting today on Sunday, instructions on the gear I am to bring, and that I must come alone.

            “I’m sorry Val, but they told me that I can’t bring anybody.” I look at her sadly. It’s true that we are partners. Val and I usually do everything together. The Kokiri are bonded with a fairy to guide them in their lifetime as a partner and friend. Now it is pretty obvious that I am not a Kokiri child, so Valor and I’s friendship is not an official bond like theirs. She still takes her assumed role very seriously. It would be nice to have her company and support when being forced to see Corra again.

            “That’s ridiculous. Impa would let me stay.” She says while pouting in the corner. Her wings droop low and her glow dulls. I think back to Zelda’s glowing hand. That is something we definitely need to figure out. She was too upset to even realize what was going on, but it looked like powerful magic I am sure of it. How can she use a power like that all of a sudden?

            “I don’t get special treatment, you know that.” I sigh as I walk into the living room towards the kitchen with my duffle bag slung over my shoulder. My phone buzzes from the bedroom, but I ignore it. If it is Impa trying to confirm that I am not going to be late for the fifth time, then I did not want any part of it. I don’t sleep in nearly as much as everyone thinks. I grab an apple and start munching on it.

            “Is Zelda going to be alright?” Valor asks still sulking as she flies towards me.

            “I really hope so. I think she should talk to Impa about it what she is feeling. Impa of all people in the world would understand the scrutiny of old world views. Maybe she also knows what that golden light is about. It is definitely related to the electric magnet feeling.” I look at the clock and throw the rest of my apple in the trash. Oh, I am really going to get an ear full.

            “Be safe Link.” Valor briefly tucks into the crook of my neck affectionately, her version of a hug, before rushing off to continue sulking in a window sill somewhere. Putting all my worry and anxiety aside, I am incredibly excited for my first day. I check my phone quickly as I open the door.

            **“Can’t wait to see you. <3 Can we hang out after the meeting? <3 <3 <3 Corra” **

            Oh no. I am in for a difficult day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What the holy crap happened to Zelda??? Also what kind of father lets himself toxically affect his daughter like that. Without his homophobia do you think Zelda would freely admit how she feels towards Malon? 
> 
> Hope everyone is enjoying the story. XO


	14. Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls find their perfect dress and Pinkie makes a less than good impression.

/Malon’s POV/

            “Midna! Please help me, I can’t get this damn monstrosity off me.” I whine from behind the curtain. The dressing room is too small for this large of a dress. I made the mistake of choosing a floof ball gown that looked pretty on the mannequin but is a disaster on me. Floof isn’t a word, but how else do you describe an obscene amount of pink tulle and lace? Midna snickers on the other side of the curtain before she came into the dressing room. I am surprised both of us could fit. She told me that I wouldn’t like it as soon as she saw it and she was right.

            “Muse, this dress really was a mistake.” She takes one look at the predicament I am in, snaps a picture, and laughs. She pulls the tulle away from the zipper gently, so it doesn’t get ruined, and helps me out of the dress. Midna has already found the dress she wants to wear. It’s a beautiful emerald green satin dress with black lace sleeves and bodice. If Link doesn’t drool, then I’ll be surprised. If the whole school doesn’t drool, then I will be even more surprised.

            “Mal, I think I found the perfect dress for you. You said pink or blue, but no tulle, right?” Zelda’s voice calls from the other side of the curtain. She has been very helpful with all this, but I can tell that something else is preoccupying her mind. I wish that I knew what it was.

            “Here let me take that one and I will give you the new one.” Midna takes the huge gown from my hands, attaches a hanger to it, and exits the dressing room. She pops over a dress bag over the curtain. “It’s a two-piece Muse. Let me know if you need help.”

            “Okay, give me a sec.” I take the dress and marvel at the beaded halter bodice. The pattern is made of gold and pink beads and rhinestones over soft eggshell blue fabric. The skirt is made of the same color fabric with a gold and pink gemmed belt. Pink and gold flowers bloom all over the fabric. It is an easy fit. The skirt hugs my hips at the top near the belt and fans out gently. The bodice modestly covers my cleavage and shows my shoulders. I’ll need a jacket to keep me warm, but this dress is gorgeous. “Okay, yeah I love this dress.”

            I step out of the dressing room with a big smile on my face. Midna wolf whistles making me laugh in embarrassment. Zelda’s mouth drops slightly, and I am very conscious of her eyes looking slowly down my dress before moving back up to my eyes. She gives me an unashamed appreciative grin. A look that makes me feel so incredibly beautiful. A look that I will selfishly lock into my memory forever.

            “That is one hell of a dress.” Zelda keeps grinning and I am trying to fight the urge to squirm under her gaze. Midna whispers about lovestruck idiots and telling me to pose for a picture, but I can’t seem to break free of Zelda’s gaze to pay attention.

            “I should just take a picture of you two like this, it will last longer…” Midna mutters. Zelda frowns and looks away leaving me feeling awkward. M gives me an apologetic look, she probably hadn’t meant to say it out loud. I can’t be mad at Midna really. Zelda is really confusing me.

            “Lets all take a picture together for my dad.” I say to clear the air. Midna smiles and grabs her phone and links her arm with Zelda to bring her over where I stood.

            “Photo shoot!” Midna squeals and proceeds to take many different photos of me in silly poses with them both. We had done the same thing when she found her perfect dress. It works like a charm to lighten the mood. Soon we all are laughing on the way to our late lunch with our purchases dropped off at my house. Our favorite cafe is in the center of town and it serves the best croissant sandwiches EVER. I am ready to scarf down three. We were going to invite Link, but he said he had plans with another recruit after their first day. He didn’t sound very happy about it though.

            I like this café because they use locally sourced products, and by that, I mean they use in part the products we sell them from our ranch. I feel pride every time we come here. Also, I get a discount, but those are just details.

            “Did you girls have fun today?” Zelda asks after sipping her sweetened coffee. She takes her coffee with lots of cream, sugar, and three pumps of caramel sauce. Not that I pay attention.

            “It wasn’t the worst day ever. I got through the day without wearing a single sequin and I do look pretty hot in my new dress. All the boys will kneel at my feet.” Midna smirks with her usual snarky confidence. Zelda smiles slyly and takes a sip of her coffee again.

            “That emerald green color is very lovely on you M. It does seem familiar though…” Zelda feigns confusion and puts her finger to her lips. “Green… green. Now who’s favorite color is green? Malon do you know?” Zelda smiles innocently in my direction.

            “Hmmm… Green. It isn’t ringing any bells for me. Midna do you know?” I give M a sideways smirk. She teases me enough, I think it’d be good to get a little revenge. Midna’s face is slightly purple with her blush. Link and Midna haven’t exactly kept their flirting secret from the group, but they haven’t talked about it directly either.

            “Coincidence.” Midna says quickly with a slight smile. She isn’t shy or secretive about her feelings towards Link anymore and I admire that so much. That must be such a liberating feeling.

            “Link!” Zelda says suddenly. Midna rolls her eyes.

            “Yes, you got me Zelda. Your clever teasing is respectable.” Midna takes a drink from her soda.

            “Yes, I was teasing you about having a crush on Link, but that’s not what I meant…” Zelda puts her hand on Midna’s arm and points out the window across the street. “Link. He’s over there.”

            “Oh.” Midna smiles slightly and then makes a growling sound. “Pinkie sure seems comfortable with him. I guess that’s why he couldn’t hang out with us.” Midna returns her attention to the rest of her chocolate croissant. I look across the street to see the pink scaled Zora girl recruit from Friday. She has her arm around Link’s waist as they stand in front of a building. She places her free hand on his chest and puts her head on his shoulder. Anger bubbles up in my stomach at the thought of Link leading Midna on… until I saw how uncomfortable he looks. He pushes away from her, visibly yells something, and she worms her way back over to him. If I squinted I could see a silver dust like substance coming from her hands as she touched him. Link honey just say no and leave.

            “M, he looks miserable. It’s pretty obvious he doesn’t like her.” I say softly. She rolls her eyes at my comment and stares at her empty plate. This isn’t how I thought she would react to another girl hanging onto her boyfriend. Well almost boyfriend. I figured Midna would have teleported her into Death Mountain as soon as she saw her look at him.

            “Come on, let’s all go say hi.” Zelda says quickly. We pay for our meals and exit the café quicker than we normally would have. Zelda laughs in a way that reminds me of how Midna would when she is playing a joke on someone. “Let’s have some fun, huh?” I get the feeling that Zelda has some experience in scaring away girls giving unwanted attention towards Link.

            “Corra, please stop touching me! We aren’t together anymore. I actually have someone that I really want to be my girlfriend. It isn’t you.” Link says bitterly as we get closer. He pulls again away from her abruptly. She goes to touch his chest again. The silver dust is very visible now. “Seriously stop. You can’t just use your magic on me like before. I know when you are doing it now!” Their backs are towards us, so they haven’t seen us approaching yet. Good it gives us the element of surprise. Midna makes a small gasp when she hears what Link says. Zelda and I look at each other with big smiles on our faces. Maybe Link is closer to vocalizing his feelings than anticipated.

            “Link isn’t it funny that we are bumping into you. Who is your friend?” Zelda calls casually. Link turns around quickly with relief spread all over his face. We are definitely the saving that he needs. His eyes lock onto Midna and makes a B-line for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh their dresses sound gorgeous. Zelda openly checked Malon out? Bold. Also Corra, what the hell? Dun. Dun. Dun. 
> 
> XO


	15. No Means No Corra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda confronts Corra, and Midna is at a loss for words.

/Midna’s POV/

            Yeah, Pinkie seems comfortable with her scaly arms grabbing him. Who does Tadpole-Breath think she is? I guess when Link said he was too busy to hang out with us, this is what he had meant. He can keep his fishy girlfriend. I hope they have fun in a swamp somewhere. Jealousy is gnawing away inside me and shoving my face full of food seems like a great way to hide from it. Chocolate please keep me sane.

            Vaguely I register that Zelda and Malon are talking to me. It is everything I could do to remain calm. Normally if something upset me this badly I would be a walking ball of anger. This time though, I am all too aware of how little reason I have to be upset at him. Sure, Link has been flirting and being sweet with me recently. Sure, we had a really nice time together Friday evening. We don’t have a commitment though. He isn’t my boyfriend. I don’t really get to pitch a fit over who he hangs out with. No matter how much I dislike Scale-Face.

            Soon Zelda is grinning evilly, and we are on our way over to the couple. I have a greater appreciation for her vindictive side. She will be a great partner in crime if the need arises. Guilt hits me now. I wish I had never ran for student body president. I am taking her dream away, and for what? To get attention from Link because I was jealous of her. I haven’t been a good friend to her when that is the only thing she has ever been to me.  We stop as we near them and I nearly jump out of my skin.

            “I actually have someone that I really want to be my girlfriend” Link says firmly without hesitation in his voice. Girlfriend? Me?... I look closer at them and I notice the silver dust coming out of her hands as she touched him. I know magic when I see it. She’s a freaking Siren! I hate them. “Seriously stop. You can’t just use your magic on me like before. I know when you are doing it now!”

            Before? Who was this girl to Link? Also… I know Siren magic. The men Sirens target can’t see their magic unless they have given their heart to another. My own heart beat faster. This is a whole lot of information that I wish him and I had talked about.

            “Link isn’t it funny that we are bumping into you. Who is your friend?” Zelda asks to get his attention. I feel like everything is moving in slow motion. Link’s face turns from obvious agitation to something lighter. Before I know it, he is moving my way. Instead of stopping in front of us, he scoops me up off the ground in a tight hug.

            “I’m so happy you are here.” He says quietly with his face in my hair. His breath gently graces my neck and a delightful shiver moves down my spine. I hug him back in response before he smiles and sets me down on the sidewalk. Link steps away from me but keeps a hand on the small of my back. Malon snickers beside me, but I ignore her.

            “Ahem.” Pinkie coughs annoyingly. Her pink scaled arms are crossed over her chest. The white colored top she wears covers her gilled ribs. Metal looked to be woven into the material to look like a cross between scales and chainmail. She had brown trousers on with an empty leather belt that normally would have carried knives. She looks battle ready and feminine at the same time. Whatever.

            “Corra, these are my best friends. Guys this is Corra my-” Link starts introducing us by gesturing towards Malon, Zelda, and I. To my amusement Malon and Zelda sarcastically bow in greeting to Pinkie. Then she interrupts.

           “Girlfriend.” Corra smirks in my direction and Link makes a loud angry noise.

           “Ex! And you should be leaving!” Link bites and throws his hands up in frustration. Corra laughs. I grab Link’s hand to hold more for my sake than his. This girl is really getting on my nerves, and I might just explode.

            “Hi Corra, I’m Midna. I believe he was just mentioning me, must be nice to put a face to the name huh?” I taunt. She cuts her eyes at me briefly before focusing on Link.

            “Your best friends are girls? How… lovely.” Corra smiles sweetly. It’s more than I imagine naturally possible for her. Is it possible for Zoras to drown? I think she just might with all the bitchy fakeness she is swimming in. Zelda steps past Link and I towards the little mudfish. With a big smile she extends a hand in greeting.

            “Nice to meet you Corra. What a lovely name, right Mal?” Zelda smiles as sweetly as syrup while shaking her hand. Malon comes to stand next to Zelda and nods in agreement.

            “It’s funny though. We have quite literally never heard of you.” Malon looks her up and down. Corra frowns at the comment and looks completely confused by what the girls are doing. I think that’s Zelda’s intention. Link’s thumb absentmindedly caresses my hand as he steals glances at me. At this point I would rather forget about Corra. She is boring me.

            “Corra is new to town and asked me to show her around which was obviously a mistake. I’m sorry that I couldn’t have lunch with you guys.” Link bitterly apologizes. I squeeze his hand to let him know that I am not upset. Damn Sirens. It is a specific magic born to Zoras. The last Siren I met graduated last year. She had been a rival of mine in magic class for years.

          “Oh, is that so? Do you often come-on to all your ex boyfriends, or is it just Link?” Zelda asks without breaking character. Her words are precise, and sharp, but still her smile is sweet.

          “I believe I heard him ask you to stop. I wonder, does ‘no’ mean something else to you Sirens?” Malon askes snidely by Zelda’s side.

           “I-I…” Corra starts to say, getting flustered, and her face getting pinker. Poor girl. I wouldn’t know what to do either if I was being interrogated by two sweet little Midlander girls with venom in their eyes. I bet Sirens are used to getting their way.

           “I’m sure you didn’t sweetie.” Zelda smiles and puts her hand sympathetically on her shoulder. Corra jerks her shoulder away roughly and puts on a face like she just ate something sour.

           “Whatever. I’ll see you tomorrow at school Link.” Pinkie huffs before smirking as she walks away. Oh, she is going to become a thorn in my side, I just know it. Seriously. I hate Sirens.

          “She is sooo annoying.” Malon groans as the mudfish turns the corner. Link pulls away from me, and I can’t help but feel disappointed from the loss of warmth.

          “Agreed.” Link sighs and he rubs his face with both hands, and starts pacing, “I wish I had never asked her out last summer. Ugh. Now she is going to our school. AND she is in the League with me. I’m going to die.”

          “M, you’ve been quiet for a while now.” Malon says gently. I blushed. Honestly, this whole encounter has left me feeling exhausted. I don’t know quite what to say, or quite what to feel. I wish Link had told me about Corra, but then again if I were him I would want to forget her too.

          “I’m just tired Mal. Pinkie was exhausting, and so was dress shopping.” I sigh dramatically. Link cracks up laughing.

          “Pinkie? Is that what you call her?” Link asks as he comes near me.

          “You like it? I have more.” I tease. His smile is bright, and his eyes touch me just as his hands would. Girlfriend… wouldn’t that be something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will this be the last we see of Corra? Also Has Link and Midna's relationship became that much more official?
> 
> Stay tuned. XO


	16. The Stupid, But Not Actually Stupid, Glowing Triangles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a rough week for Link so far. It's beginning to affect his dreams. And this golden thing? It's only getting worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry that this chapter is super late. I hope to start a better upload schedule. As of right now, my goal is to have a new chapter up every Sunday.This is starting on the 15th of July. This may change, so I'll try to keep everyone updated. Remember to subscribe to always know when I update. 
> 
>  
> 
> Enjoy! XO

/Link’s POV/

            _This place is fantastic. I look at the Training Camp grounds nestled into the trees above Kakariko Village on a mountain. A large brown building with a covered wrap around porch stands in front of me. Probably the office. People of all shapes and sizes walk in empty handed and out again with a variety of weapons. Impa told me that if I was serious about getting into the League, then training here this summer is the best way to prepare. Loud voices echo in the distance from behind the office. I breathe in the summer heat attempting to get rid of my anxiousness and sling my bag over my shoulder. The next step is to talk to Impa to find out my schedule and where I’ll be staying while I’m here. Easy._

_“Hi handsome, is this your first time? You look lost like a little lamb.” An alluring female voice asks from behind me. A shiver goes down my spine as a hand touches my shoulder. Almost immediately the air around me is thick, hazy and difficult to breathe into my lungs. I stand frozen with my mouth feeling like mush. “Cat got your tongue?” She asks again before giggling. My heart beats uncomfortably fast in my chest. Something is wrong. I was just fine a second ago._

_“Um…” I stammer. She, a beautiful Zora girl, steps into my vision gliding her hand from my shoulder to my chest. The sun bounces off her pink scaled shoulders in a distractingly exciting way. Her hand is warm, her eyes are silver, and my blood rushes to my cheeks. Breathing becomes easier when I see her face and the air around her shines clearly. “…What?” I ask. Link you are a blubbering idiot._

_“Here darlin’, let me show you around.” She purrs in my ear. I make an embarrassing sound as I feel her lips lightly brush my cheek as she pulls away. Her arm links within mine and she leads me towards the office where I know Impa is waiting. “We’re going to have so much fun this summer, babe.” She grins. Something is wrong._

_Out of nowhere, invisible hands pull me to the ground and the scene changes. The ground is wet, and the smell of smoke is in the air. I can hear nothing but screams all around me. My eyes burn as something warm drips from my forehead into them. My mouth tastes like copper. Blood. Loud painful screams. I need to get up to help. He can’t win. Not now. Not ever._

_“Link!” Someone far away calls my name urgently. **Boom. Crack.** A bolt of lightning strikes in front of me. Rain begins pouring heavily now. A large red headed man in black robes has Zelda raised above his head by her neck. Her white dress is tattered and covered with of a mixture of blood and mud._

_“Noooo.” I scream as I rush to my feet and grab the sword next to me. Golden light pours from my hand at the contact. The man turns his head and smiles at me. His golden sand color eyes reflect his evil plans. These are eyes that I will never forget for the rest of my life._

_“The Triforce will be mine.” He exclaims. I charge towards him as he tosses Zelda’s body aside. She silently falls. Her body is frozen where she is. No. NO._

_“Link! Wake up!” The voice from before calls me again. The scene in front of me fades slowly. Those eyes are the last thing to disappear._

My skull radiates pain at my temples and in the back of my head near my spine. My body feels as if I had been violently absorbed by a Like-Like and then spit back out. Someone shakes my shoulder roughly.

“Wake up… Link!” Zelda urges me as she begins to shake my whole body. I painfully sit up too fast from the floor. My lungs don’t want to work properly. The tile is cool beneath my hands. How did I get onto the floor?

            “What....Where…?” I choke out the words. Zelda’s eyes are filled with tears. Midna and Malon crowd around me with worried looks in their eyes. I look around and realize that everyone else in our history class is staring at me as well. One pair of golden sand colored eyes unnerve me the most. I don’t think I have ever paid that much attention to the Gerudo boy in our class before. I don’t even know his name, but there is something hauntingly familiar about his eyes.

            “Link are you quite alright?” Mr. Harth, our Rito history teacher, asks as he makes his way towards us. I turn my attention onto him and rub my head. The action makes the pain worse. He scrunches his grey feathered brows in worry.

            “Um… To be honest I really don’t know what happened.” I respond. My throat feels hoarse. Seriously, what even happened? It’s Thursday morning I know, the fourth unbearable day of seeing Corra in school. Obviously, I had fallen asleep in class. Nothing odd about that. It isn’t even out of the norm for me to have dreams stupid vivid dreams about Corra, but when the dream changed… It was different. I didn’t feel like I was just in a dream. It felt like I was living in that terrible moment. I felt the pain, the anger, the fear… Oh Zelda. I look at her again and relief fills me when it registers that she is okay.

            “It looked like this old desk gave way under him and broke sir. Since Link had fallen asleep he couldn’t stop himself from falling down with it.” Zelda explains. Midna and Malon nod adamantly with her in agreement.

            “The desk just… broke?” He asks raising one of his eyebrows in disbelief. I wouldn’t believe it either if that’s what Zelda had said it to me, but the proof is right there. The desk looks like it had been cracked in half. Did… did I do that? I must have, what else could have happened?

            “It is quite old sir. We’ve been complaining about them for years.” Midna adds quickly. Mr. Harth nods like it makes perfect sense. A sharp burst of pain explodes in my head again. I wince and cradle it in my hands. It’s then that I notice the faint golden triangle disappearing from my left hand. Zelda catches my eye and nods slowly to show me that she saw it too.

            “Sir can we take him to the medic? I think he hit his head.” Malon asks. After agreeing, Mr. Harth helps me to my feet and sends us on our way. The walk helps ease the pain in my head. When we turn the corner and cut through the court yard, Midna stops in her tracks. She turns to face Zelda and I with her hands on her hips. Worry and anger is written all over her face.

            “Is SOMEONE going to explain what the hell just happened?!” She asks with a bite in her voice. Malon nods her head and raises her hand above her head.

            “Yes, I’d like to know what happened as well.” Malon says as she starts fidgeting with her hair. I take a deep breath and run my hands through my hair. My left hand still burns with left over energy.

            “Well…” Zelda begins, unsure as to what she should say. “We don’t really know more than you guys, but it would be easier to just show you.” She gives me a fearful look and holds out her right hand towards me. I stare at it.

            “No Zelda. It has been getting worse…I don’t know if I’m ready to see what would happen if we do this on purpose.” I say quickly. I turn my back on her and think of all the strange things that have been happening lately. Touching our hands hurts. It hurts. Why should we do it on purpose? Zelda had weird glowing light coming from her hand that sent me across the room. She didn’t even realize that it had happened. I fell asleep and blew up a desk. This is freaky crap. DANGEROUS crap. “No. I’m not grabbing your hand.”

            “Come on Link. We have no idea what is going on. How can we describe it if we don’t show them? Midna might know how to help.” She shakes her hand anxiously in my direction. Her eyes are pleading me to do as she asks. This is a terrible terrible plan. I take her hand slowly. The magnetic feeling bursts to life.

            Electricity burns through my arm quicker than ever before. The sensation snakes through my veins like adrenaline. Zelda cries out in pain, so I try to pull away, but it is no use. Our hands are locked together. I guess magnets were too soft of a description. Like I said, a terrible terrible idea, because there is no turning back now.

            A searing energy builds between us. Midna and Malon stare at us with fear in their eyes. I wonder what this must look like to them, because I can barely see them. Golden light pours from our joint hands like the rainbow after a storm. The relief is instantaneous. Its precious glow is warm and comforting. Its energy is ancient, wise, and courageous. The calming waves speak to us as separate entities. One blue. One green.

            “ _I have guided you for millennia, Princess. Embrace me now and I can counsel you for the millennia to come.”_ The blue energy speaks. She, her voice is definitely female, seems to be the energy that resides in Zelda. I can’t see the blue energy, but Zelda seems very comfortable with her. Familiar even.

             “I accept your wisdom, Nayru.” Zelda answers. The golden light dims until she returns to normal and she lets go of my hand. Emptiness fills me. I’m alone with my fears now. The urge to fight what is happening is strong.

_“Please don’t fight. Your soul is the most courageous and worthy of my power. In times of fear let me strengthen you as I have for millennia. Let us be courageous together again.”_ The green energy pleads.

            “But… I don’t know you. My name is Link. Not Hero.” I respond slowly, growing bitter with every word. I didn’t ask for any of this freaky weirdness. A sadness comes from the green energy. In my mind’s eye I see her manifest into a golden female figure with emerald colored hair.

_“That is our fault Hero… Link. We knew each other once. I was the courageous voice in your head and the life in your veins. Without you I am empty and dormant. Without me you are without resolve. Please embrace my power Link.”_ She pleads again. With her golden hands she cups my shoulders. _“Embrace my power and you will know my name once more…”_

            “I-I…” I begin to say. I think of the golden light from my dream when I picked up the purple handled sword. The weapon and the light felt natural and familiar. Vague understanding tugs at the back of my head. My heart embraces the golden energy before my words can catch up. The golden woman smiles at me. I know her name. “I embrace your courage Farore.” I say to her. She fondly kisses my forehead as a mother might to a child. The golden light recedes.

            “Holy Shit.” Malon exclaims before she realizes what she said and covers her mouth. Midna just stares at my left hand. I glance there as well and notice that the golden triangle is now permanently in place. I raise it to show everyone.

            “These stupid golden triangles are what happened.” I wince at my language as soon as it leaves my mouth. The Triforce isn’t stupid… I don’t exactly know what it is yet… but it isn’t stupid.

            _“You’ll learn.”_ Farore whispers in my mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! This chapter took forever to make. It went in many different directions before I settled here. I wanted to give some introduction into Link and Corra's relationship. Don't worry. Link may have been dreaming, but this was his genuine memory of how they met. I also wanted Link to start having nightmares. It continues the theme of evil rising. What does it mean? What could happen in the future? That's for you to guess and for me to write. :D
> 
> I also finally gave some closure to the mystery of the golden light. What are your thoughts?
> 
>  
> 
> Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. As always comments and Kudos are welcome. XD


	17. Nayru's Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Election day and Zelda is nervous. Her father is acting strange. Nayru has some new information to share.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sooooooooo terrible I know! I have taken too long to update and honestly all I can say is that college started and there was a hurricane y'all. I survived said hurricane, and the verdict is still out on classes. 
> 
> I am back though! 
> 
> XO

/Zelda’s POV/

            Having an ancient overconfident voice in your head trying to give you advice is not all it is cracked up to be in the books. Although, come to think of it, I have never read about such a thing before. Figure of speech I suppose. Not only does her “voice” give me a massive headache, but she insists that she knows the answer to everything. Unfortunately, I am seeing things I don’t like about myself in her own character.

            _“You are the most logical choice, Princess. There is no need to feel anxious about going to your place of education today.”_ Nayru says confidently... as always. I can only describe her “voice” as the sound of river water flowing over rocks. I say voice because she isn’t actually speaking to me, at least not like any of us would to each other. It is a pleasant sound that only I can “hear” in my mind.

            “I’m not anxious!” I growl. An obvious lie, and she knows it. She scoffs indignantly. “Look I have a lot going on right now.” An uncomfortable itch bothers me under my skin. I am not used to being this agitated or anxious. I pull my hair up into a messy ponytail and look in the mirror above my dresser, not my usual neat braid. Great, I’ll look like a mess at school today when I lose the election. How fitting.

            “Zelda! You are late.” Father yells up the stairs to me. I wince. Last night, he came storming through the door screaming. Apparently, another Council member argued with him again. Probably Impa. I wish I knew why those two did not get along. They both were so close to my mother.

            “Coming Father don’t worry.” I answer back. Of course, I would be late today. A disappointment to my father and a disappointment to myself. I grab my bag and head downstairs deciding to forgo breakfast. Father stands near the door with his arms folded over his chest. A dark shadow crosses his face.

            “Today is not the day to be late to school, young lady.” He warns. I nod obediently. It is easy to forget this side of my father when I act the way he wants me to. His other side has been showing far more recently.

            “Yes sir.” I say. Satisfied with my response he sighs and looks out the window with a frown. No birds today to cut the tension.

            “I don’t like the idea of that Twili getting elected. They aren’t the type to be trusted. Always hiding about in the mountains. You watch that girl. She is no friend of yours.” He warns again and dismissively walks into the living room to pick up the newspaper.

            What? I know Father has some less than progressive opinions, but to completely dismiss Midna like that is completely wrong. She is vibrant, a loyal friend, and a brilliant person. So what if not many of the Twili come into town? That is no reason to hate them. Their culture is different than us Midlanders.

            My thoughts jump to Malon and my body goes cold. No. He can absolutely never know my feelings for her. He will be so angry at me. At her. No. No. I have to protect her from him. She is too special for that. I can never tell anyone, or he will find out. I’ll get over her…

 _“But you can’t keep denying the part of yourself who has feelings for her. Doesn’t she deserve to know the truth? It isn’t wise to split your mind in two this way. Your Father is not in control of you or the land for that matter. He is not a king now. Remember that. Things have changed.”_ Nayru reasons and for the first time today, I am comforted by her words. An excited flutter knocks around in my chest. The sound seems to fill the room around me.

           “Zelda. Zelda the door.” Father snaps me out of my thoughts. He pops his head into view from the living room. “Honestly girl, you need to pay more attention. Answer the door.” A frown threatens to take over my lips, but I refuse to let him see it. Hell just might freeze over before this sour spell of his starts to sweeten apparently.

          I take a step towards the door and pull it open without checking the peephole. Auburn hair twists and twirls in response and I have to bite the inside of my cheek so as to not say anything embarrassingly stupid. There isn’t anything spectacularly different about Malon’s appearance today. Just a grey knitted sweater and light wash jeans. And her hair is down around her shoulders as it always should be. But my heart is in overdrive still. She has never been over to my house.

          “Hi Zel, I noticed you weren’t on your way to school, so I thought I would drop by and make sure you were up and everything…” Malon stammers. Her cheeks faintly begin to turn red and it makes her whole face glow.

          “Zelda dear. Who is at the door?” Father asks suddenly next to me. His bushy eyebrows are accusatory, but his posture isn’t threatening. I glance at Malon and give her a nervous smile before opening the door wider. Malon has also never met my father. I’ve told him about her before, but I believe it is still bet to give him as little information as possible. The less he knows about Malon the less likely that he will be suspicious of anything.

          “Father this is Malon. I’ve mentioned her before, you remember?” I ask him in my most diplomatic voice.

          “The musician? Why yes, I’ve heard of you dear. It is nice to finally meet you.” He smiles widely and holds out his hand to Malon. She takes it and smiles nervously.

          “It is n-nice to meet you too sir.” She shakes his hand firmly. He nods his head in satisfaction.

          “Zelda, I want you to get home early after school this afternoon. There are a great many things to discuss. Off to school now.” He shoos Malon and I to the sidewalk.

           We walk in silence and my heart pounds in my ears. What could he possibly want to talk about now? Not to make my dad sound terrible or anything, but we don’t exactly have a ‘great many things to discuss.’

          “He’s kind of scary…” Malon mumbles. She meets my eyes. “It’s is something in his eyes.” Her own go wide and she clasps her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

           “Sometimes he is… I don’t remember a time after mom… disappeared… that he wasn’t intense.” I console her. She peeks her eyes behind her fingers and smiles slowly. Without thinking, I reach over and hook my pinkie gently with hers to pull her hand away from her face. Her eyes widen, and I pull away quickly. “S-sorry.” I face forward and move to put my hands in my pockets.

            “Wait…” She says firmly. Her cheeks are pink and without looking at me she hooks our pinkies together like it is the most natural thing to happen between us. We stay like that, silent, until we get to school.

             Nayru, this is too much. She is too good for me. She doesn’t need all of my baggage. It’s just been Link and I for so long.

 _“Princess. My power does not only favor wisdom, but also love. If this is the path you want to go down, then you will be blessed. Both are strong sources of strength and protection if you trust them. Heart and mind will be safe.”_ Nayru guides my breathing into a calmer rhythm.

              Nayru’s love will protect me huh? That’s good to know…. But will it protect her? She may no feel quite the same way.

              I push worries away and focus on my happiness. This may be selfish, but I think I might deserve it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think about this chapter? Truth be told, I've been stuck on it.
> 
> I will update more regularly on weekends like I had wanted to earlier in the summer. Stay tuned!
> 
> XO


	18. Where is Midna?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corra has a new victim. Midna is missing. Our heroes are having a terrible day.

/Link’s POV/

            “Waiting is boring!” Valor complains from her nest in the crook of my shoulder. I nod in agreement. Students impatiently talk to their neighbors. Our school has set up the outdoor amphitheater to house us in anticipation for the election results. I tap my leg anxiously. Frankly, today has been unenjoyable for the most part. First, like every morning I waited to walk to school with the girls, but they were late, and I had to leave without them. Then most of the day had been given to the students as a free day, which meant that because of our different club affiliations I didn’t see anyone.

            If Valor hadn’t been with me then I probably would have died from boredom. It isn’t that I don’t like my classmates, I just have never really bonded with any of them. My whole day has been avoiding conversation with Corra and eye contact with that Gerudo boy. There is something deeply familiar and unnerving about him, but I have never even noticed him before the other day.

            I’m also pretty sure that Midna hasn’t shown up at all today and I’m worried that if she doesn’t show then she will be disqualified. Would she be disappointed? I don’t think she cared much for the election when she started, but I hate to think of her unhappy. Where is she? Concern bubbles in my stomach.

 _“You’re very anxious today, young one. Are you always this scared?”_ Farore asks cheekily. I roll my eyes and scan the seats of rows looking for Malon. Zelda and Midna (if she is here) would be somewhere off the stage.

 _“I’m not scared. I’m… cautious. Something about today feels off to me.”_ I tell Farore. After Valor telling me that I sounded like a crazy person talking to Farore out loud when no one else could hear her, I decided to try… thinking at her I suppose? It seems to be working so far.

 _“It is smart to be aware of things around you. That’s good of you to trust your instincts.”_ She compliments me. I shake my leg some more.

           “Where’s your girlfriend?” Corra’s voice fills my ears. I am ashamed to admit that I think it is a beautiful voice. It’s not as captivating as it once was however. Agitation swirls within me. From the choice words that come from Farore, I know that she isn’t pleased by the girl’s presence any more than I am.

 _“She is dangerous. You were wise to keep your heart safe from her. The Twili girl is much more deserving.”_ Farore scoffs. I can feel that she wants to confront the girl herself. If it were even possible, I know it wouldn’t be pretty.

 _“Trust me, I know.”_ I think quickly. I turn my head to face Corra and see that she is wrapped around the Gerudo boy like a snake. I can’t help but feel sorry for him, she is going to break his heart.

           “I haven’t seen her today.” I reply colorlessly then frown at her. “Something I wish I could say about you.”

           “Oh, darling don’t be like that. Meet my new friend…” She pauses as if remembering that they were attached at the hip, “What was your name again?” She grins at him, but he doesn’t respond right away.

           “I’d rather not say my first name. I don’t use it.” The boy’s voice is far deeper than I imagined. Corra looks at him with surprise. Honestly, I am too. Usually, no man under her influence ever disobeys anything she says. Even if he didn’t exactly say no, he still is strong enough to fight.

            “Well just introduce yourself with the name you do use.” Corra says firmer this time. I could see her silver magic snake its way into his senses. Again, poor guy.

            “Vukan. Vukan Dragmire. Vukan is my middle name.” Vukan offers his hand towards me. I take it and a familiar stinging sensation consumes my hand. As calmly as I can I let go and hope that the pair didn’t notice my discomfort. Vukan’s eyes are questioning. Piercing. I hate it. They bore into me more than usual.

 _“What the hell was that, Farore?”_ I snap at her. My body feels cold, as if she were hiding. Great, my only back up is gone.

             “Link.” I respond remembering my manners. I want him to stop his intense staring.

             “Just Link?” He asks me with an arched red brow.

             “No parents. No second name to inherit. So yeah, just Link.” I respond coldly. Why are they here? Does Corra think I’m going to be jealous because she is currently acting as a parasite for another guy? She is wrong.

             “Isn’t Vukan just a handsome name?” Corra purrs trying to get the attention back on her. Ignoring her I stare at the stage. Vukan Dragmire simply turns around and walks away leaving Corra standing there stunned.

             “How did he do that? I didn’t tell him… My magic…” Corra can’t seem to finish any of her sentences. Honestly, if that guy didn’t make me so uncomfortable then I would care more. I don’t want to know anything else about him. Or maybe it’s just because I don’t care about Corra. No, that’s not true. I care about almost everyone… I just don’t have to like her.

             “Don’t follow me, Corra.” I grumble, leave my seat, and head for the stage. I want to find Zelda. Hopefully that is where Malon is as well. Finally, the door to backstage is in sight. One of the teachers, a Midlander, looks like she is about to stop me, and I am not in the mood for it.

             “Mr. Link, where do you think you are going? You can’t go back there.” She nags me. Today is not the day lady. I need to talk to Zelda or see Midna. Hopefully she is back there.

             “As designated best friend, I am obligated to help with any nervous jitters of the election candidates. I think my role is very crucial.” I say trying to be as convincing as Zelda. That girl can talk her way through anything.

             “Malon said the same thing.” The teacher sighs and points towards a chair in the corner I hadn’t noticed before. Malon was sitting there pouting. Upon hearing her name, she perked up.

              “Link! Where have you been all day? Is she going to let us see Zelda?” Malon questions quickly as she rushes to my side.

              “Where have I been? Where have you been? You guys were late getting to school and then you disappeared all day.” I grumble at her not appreciating her attitude.

              “I had music practice I’ll have you know.” She defends

              “Why are we even fighting? Can we talk to Zelda or not?” I turn back to the teacher who looks so annoyed she might pop.

              “Look, do you two know where Midna is? We have tried to contact her home, and there has been no answer. She is going to be disqualified if she doesn’t show up,” The teacher exasperatedly pinches the bridge of her nose and looks me over, “I know you two are… close, maybe you could try getting in touch with her?”

              “Miss, I’ve been trying to get ahold of her all day. No answer. If you’ll let us see Zelda, then we can figure everything out.” I offer. Malon nods quickly.

              “Obviously we are a mess when our routine gets messed up. We never fight.” She twitches her hand between us. It’s true, the only reason that we are fighting is because we are in bad moods.

              “You four can’t do everything together for the rest of your lives. The adult world doesn’t work that way.” The teacher sighs again.

              “Miss Thatcher, can I go get Link and Malon now?! We really need to find Midna. I’ve asked exactly twelve times now.” Zelda’s voice calls from behind the door.

              “I know!” Miss Thatcher bitterly opens the door. Zelda looks angry until she sees the two of us.

              “Good, you’re here. If I had been listened to much earlier in the day, we could have had this situation under control.” Zelda immediately assesses the situation. The teacher throws up her hands in defeat.

             “You try to run a school with rules and soon kids ruin your life.” She mutters as she walks away. We watch her go.

            “Okay. First off. Today has been unnecessarily terrible. Almost as if someone were writing a story and has been stuck on it for months so they just threw a bunch of angst to move the plot along.” Malon whines and puts her hands in her hair. Zelda moves closer and puts her hand on Malon’s shoulder.

             “That was weirdly descriptive Mal.” I say looking at my two other friends. Malon had shifted closer to Zelda. Zelda was petting her hair in turn. That’s something to definitely bring up later.

             “It is true though, I spent hours today alone. I hate being alone. One of my instruments has somehow gotten damaged. I suspect some infuriating freshman did it. Jealousy!”

             “We’ve all been alone today Mal.” Zelda offers. Malon looks up at her and smiles sadly. Okay seriously. I may be slow to the finish line, but I’m there now.

             “Yeah we all have. My ex is now bewitching creepy guys and following me around in attempts to make me jealous.” I wave at them for emphasis. “I can’t be jealous because I’m in love with someone who just happens to be missing on a very important day of her life. So, if we could all stop arguing, and flirting, to find Midna that would be great.” Irritation stirs within me. I don’t usually get like this and I don’t like it. Malon and Zelda step quickly away from each other.

             “Flirting?” Malon asks shocked.

             “In love?” Zelda demands?

             “Forget both of those things. Midna, has anyone heard from her because I haven’t.” I show my phone to them for proof.

             “No, I haven’t” The girls say at the same time. I step away and put my head in my hands. Something just feels wrong about this.

             “I have a plan.” Zelda offers, placing her hand on my shoulder. Instantly the golden light connects us. I can feel the presence of Nayru, Zelda’s piece of the Triforce.

 _“Actually, it is my plan.”_ Nayru says.

 _“I have a better plan, Nayru.”_ Farore speaks up finally.

 _“Where the hell have you been?”_ I demand.

_“Protecting you. Now let’s go save your Twili, we both know she is in danger.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the randomness and how long it has taken me.
> 
> It will get better from here.
> 
> XO


	19. We Got A Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link discovers new powers, and the team has a plan. Sort of.

/Malon’s POV/

            Watching Link pace around the room is intimidating. He twitches his arms around like he is trying to shake the tension from his shoulders, but the pressure won’t leave. Valor buzzes around him. We are currently waiting for Zelda to come back from talking to the principal. We need his permission to leave the school and look for Midna. All day I had just thought she was with Zelda. Why I thought that, I don’t know?

            I feel terrible for not texting her. She is my best friend after all. She and Link aren’t even dating, and he had some sixth sense feeling that she was in trouble. Shouldn’t I have that? Zelda called her five times and texted her 11. I did nothing except try to fix the lyre that I keep at school. The strings were frayed and there was cracking in the wood. I don’t need my instruments in bad condition when my concert is so close. Zelda was on my mind a lot this morning after we kind of held hands. Heat rises to my cheeks slowly.

            There it is again. Why am I such a bad friend? When did I become so selfish?

            “Stop blaming yourself, Mal.” Link says firmly with his arms crossed.

            “I’m not-” I start. He holds up his hand to stop me.

            “I mean it. I know that look on your face. We’ve all had a rough day. It isn’t your fault, and we don’t even know if something is wrong with her.” The last part isn’t very convincing. He sits down next to me on the bench and pulls me into a hug. It reminds me of when we met on the playground when we were young.

            “Why has today been so weird? I know our routine was messed up, but we aren’t that co-dependent, are we? We don’t do everything together.” I sigh. Seriously, it seems like nothing can go right for any of us today. He was silent for a while. His leg starts to move like it does when he gets worked up.

            “You’re right Mal. It’s like all of this has been happening on purpose, but I don’t know how or why.” Zelda appears around the corner suddenly. If her face didn’t look so serious then I would be tempted to smile.

            “So, what did he say?” I ask. She had pulled her hair into a tight bun and pulled the sleeves of her sweater above her elbows.

            “It took a lot of convincing, but he decided that he will announce a tie between Midna and I and dismiss the students to spend the rest of their day as a free day. A revote will happen on Monday when everyone comes back. He is allowing us to leave as long as it is discreet.” Zelda looks pointedly at Link, “Are you sure this is going to work?”

            “Nope.” His face looks pale. I’ve never seen him scared like this. Isn’t his whole golden mojo all about courage or something?

            “Excuse me, what? Do we not have a plan? If we leave we can borrow some horses from my dad.” I offer. We are wasting time.

            “If this doesn’t work then we will do that okay? Follow me.” Zelda walks towards the backstage door that she came from before. It is hard not to follow such a natural born leader. We stop in the middle of the room. “Okay Link, what should we do?”

            “Hold on a minute.” He steps away and starts pacing. When it starts to appear as if he is talking to himself, his hand begins to glow. “Farore I hate teleporting!”… “That sounds a whole lot like teleporting to me.”… “I’m not afraid!”…”Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?”

            “Why is he talking aloud, if he knows that we can’t hear the golden thingy?” I whisper to Zelda. She looks at me and smiles before looking at him with pity.

            “Trust me, it is more difficult than it looks. If he wasn’t so worked up, then he could probably keep it quiet. He’s better at it then me, I only figured out how to do it this morning. He had it down last night.” I feel her hand gently graze the back of my arm. Link comes back to us and holds out his hands.

            “Okay so, in order for this to work you two have to be touching me. So, grab my hands, and please don’t let go or I might lose you.” Zelda grabs his hand immediately causing a golden halo to surround them and holds her free one towards me.

            “What exactly is happening?” I ask hesitantly grabbing their hands.

            “To summarize, Link and I have access to different abilities because of our Triforce pieces-”

            “The golden thingies?” I question.

            “Yes, and that’s too difficult to explain right now. Basically, Link can take us to Midna with his ‘golden thingy’”

            “Well actually, I can only take us to the edge of the mountain. Farore says I can only go to places that I have been before.”

            “Why doesn’t it work with people? We don’t know where she is exactly.” Zelda points out.

            “I don’t think we have time for you to judge the failings of the magic powers I don’t understand yet Zelda. The edge of the mountain is where Impa’s training camp is. If something is going wrong, then we need to be prepared. I don’t have any weapons with me. The camp is also not too far away from the Twili village. She might be there, or if she isn’t then someone might know something. You may be the smart one, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think.”

            “That isn’t what I meant, Link.” Zelda’s eyes flash hurt.

“I’m sorry. They’re arguing and It’s hard to keep everything straight.” What?

            “I know, it’s like they forget that we are the ones running the show… Oh sorry, Mal. We are talking about Nayru and Farore. I’ll explain later, I promise.” Zelda notices the confused look on my face.

            “Let’s please get going. Do not let go.” Link orders. Suddenly the air around us starts to shift and turn gold. Our feet lift off of the floor and soon my vision turns white. I am only aware of Zelda’s and Link’s hands holding tight. I see what he meant by getting lost if I let go. The force of the winds are trying to pull my legs out from under me. Suddenly my feet slam against something hard underneath me. My vision clears, and we are in a different room than before.

            “Link. Zelda. You had better explain yourself right now!” A female voice demands. A tall white haired Sheikah woman with red tattoos sits behind a desk in front of us shocked.

            “Hey Impa, we got a problem. I might need a sword.” Link says with all the ease in the world. She stares for a moment, and as if the whole situation was too bizarre for her at the moment she just nods.

            “This way then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had great plans for this chapter to be filled with lots of action, but instead I found myself writing a lot of dialogue.  
> Hopefully that doesn't bother you too much.
> 
> XO


	20. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where is Midna?????

/Midna’s POV/

            “You pieces of shit better let me out of here!” I yell slamming my fists as hard as I can on the metal walls. I scream when pain shoots up to my elbows. I’ve had about enough of this! Sliding to the ground, I kick at the wall multiple times in one last bit of fury. Pain and exhaustion fill me. I feel pathetic and weak.

            Let’s explain the situation here. I’m in a box. Some tiny little box made of some sort of metal that is blocking my magic, or maybe the box is enchanted. I don’t know. The point is that I have been kidnapped. I don’t even know how long I have been in here or even where I am. I bring my hands to rub my temples. The back of my head is swollen.

            I don’t remember much from yesterday. Zelda and Link put on their golden magic lightshow. We had our little pow wow freak out session over it and after school was over I teleported home. That’s where things get a little fuzzy.

            The Twili live in a small village hidden in the center of Dark Mountain. At least that’s what we call it. The Dark Mountain is the baby sister of Death Mountain. Outside the village entrance is a forest filled with a mysterious mist that wanderers get lost in. We Twili simply teleport in and out of the village and don’t bother with that mess. I think Link said that the Kokiri call it the Lost Woods. Apparently, the same forest that surrounds my village surrounded Link’s childhood home as well. It’s sad to think that we both grew up so isolated, but we were so close to each other.

            Anyway. There are only a small number of Twili. Less than a hundred all together. That doesn’t include the number of Twili monsters, halflings, and animals that live in the forest. About half of us can only survive in the mountain because of its perpetual state of Twilight. They aren’t strong enough to teleport because they don’t have the magic, or they are too young/old. Among the other half that can teleport out of the mountain, three can withstand sunlight. They go to school like I do every day. The rest can only roam during the night.  

            Then there is me. I am different than any other Twili in the village. First off, I have this bright orange hair. No one, and I mean no one, has this same trademark. Usually Twili hair is black, grey, or in the rarest cases a dark red color. The elders say that the color of our hair is a physical embodiment of our magical ability, and well, I’m overflowing with it. Normally those with the most magical ability lead among us.

            Sounds like a good thing, right? Wrong. Pretty much everyone hates me, or they are afraid of me. It really isn’t clear sometimes. Since I have all of this raw power, many are afraid that I will rule over them by force. It’s been that way since I was born. I’m surprised that the Elders let me live long enough to fend for myself when custom says that I’m supposed to take their jobs when I come of age. Well I don’t want the gig. They can keep it.

You see, Twili don’t exactly have parents. Those scared of us say we are the wandering souls of the forest reborn into shadow forms. We’re ghosts. That’s not true. We are born like anyone else except that the whole village raises us together. It creates a deep bond to each other when outsiders won’t accept us. Well except in my case.

That’s not really fair to say. There are some in the village who support me. There are even Elders who really want me to take my place as leader. They are the only people that keep me from abandoning the Dark Mountain completely… but I’m just not made out to be a leader.

            Wait. Why am I going into this weird backstory? Damn, I have a concussion, don’t I? Stupid Stupid Stupid brain. What was I trying to remember again? Teleporting…Dark Mountain… Home. Home! I teleported home after school.

            All the underage Twili live in a large home with the Elders. My bedroom is on the second floor, and it particularly bland. I just have a bed, dresser, bookcase, and reading chair. There is however a large window with the best view in the mountain in my opinion. There are many stalactites coming from the middle of the roof of our cave. Water spills from an unknown source and drips down the icicle-like structures and into a large lake. With the natural twilight atmosphere in here, the scene is gorgeous. I have often imagined bringing Link here, but he hates teleporting.

            Off topic again! I groan more obscenities to whoever is outside the box. No answer. Anyway, I teleported home. I remember opening the front door quietly hoping that no little kids will come bombard me with questions about the outside world. They are too young to be afraid of me, and although I will never admit it out loud, I absolutely love telling them stories about my friends and sunlight. I hope they get to see the sun someday. No kids in sight, I walk softly into the common room.

            That’s when my vision went black. There had been a sharp thwacking noises that I now realize were something blunt hitting the back of my head and then me hitting the floor.

            “This isn’t personal.” A deep voice casually says to me before picking me up off the floor. That’s it. I woke up in here, and nothing I try has gotten me any closer to being free.

            I hate to feel like that damsel in distress who needs a man to save me, but it would be nice to have Link here. At the very least he could get her out of here, so she could kick some ass. I think the box absorbs shadow magic. It seemed like Link’s new golden stuff was light based. He might be able to shatter it.

            That is, if he ever finds me.

            How long have I been gone?

            Panic fills my chest.

            “Let me out!” I scream as I bang on the metal some more. “Please!” My throat feels raw and tears start to sting my eyes. “I can’t breathe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> XO


	21. Saria's Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes continue their quest to find Midna.

/Zelda’s POV/

            “But why do we need weapons?” Malon asks as she fills her backpack with things that Link hands her. A couple of flashlights. Things to make a fire. A bag of Deku Nuts. An extra ocarina which doesn’t make sense to me, but it seems important to Link. Valor buzzes around Link’s head reminding him of things we may need. I was worried that she wouldn’t be teleported with us earlier, but I shouldn’t have underestimated fairy magic. Anywhere Link is, Valor will follow if she wants to. Aunt Impa inspects a bow before handing it to me with a quiver of arrows. The worry on her face makes her look older than I would like.

            When we told her what was happening earlier, her face turned pale. She then began shouting orders at some Sheikah men and women in another room before guiding us into a different room filled with supplies. She has been oddly silent about the whole ordeal but keeps staring at Link and I with sadness in her eyes. Occasionally I have caught her attempting to say something before seemingly deciding against it.

            “We have to go through the Lost Woods to get to Midna’s village. The Lost Woods is already really dangerous, but the area around the village is worse. I became familiar with it as a child, so I know how to navigate around, but we still have to protect ourselves.” He explains and straps on a sword in a scabbard. Impa hands him a shield before putting her hands on his shoulders and looking him over. With Link’s growth spurt they are around the same height.

            “You’ve become a strong young man…” She begins before hugging him tightly. Link stands there stiffly before hugging her back.

            “Um… Impa?” He starts. I frown. Impa has never been the hugging type. Malon shifts uncomfortably. She doesn’t know Impa, but the air in the room has changed.

            “Are you okay Aunt Impa?” I ask. She looks up as if remembering I am here and reaches out to hug me as well. The force knocks the wind out of me.

            “You’re so much like your mother. She would have been so proud of the woman you’ve become. I am.” Her voice sounds like she is trying to hold back tears.

            “Impa what is going on, you’ve been acting weird since we got here.” Link asks again. The Sheikah pulls away and stares at us.

            “Listen, things have been becoming more dangerous lately. More monsters have been spawning and raiding. People have been going missing… and it just reminds me of when your mother went missing.” Impa looks at the both of us intently. My heart warms a little when she doesn’t imply that mother was only mine. She loved Link like he was hers. “You two are right to be worried about your friend. If she is missing, then you need to find her fast. There are… people… in Midland who are spreading anti-Twili hate. Actually, anti-everyone hate. Things have been very _tense_ during Council meetings. If we don’t start doing something soon more people are going to go missing as well. Important people, like your friend. She is next in line to lead her people. It is important to find her and keep her safe.” Impa stresses each part of what she is saying until she trusts that we understand. Link nods stoically.

            “Impa. Is this why my father was upset this morning? What is happening?” I ask quickly. Impa looks at me sharply. That’s a yes. Has he actually been preaching anti-Twili hate in meetings??

            “Zelda do not get involved. Stay on your father’s good side. I want you all to stick together and stay out of trouble. Do you hear me? Find Midna and go home. Go to school on Monday and put this out of your mind. There are people already trying to take care of the situation.” Impa shakes me to make a point.

            “But you literally said we are all in danger.” Link states.

            “Listen to me! You two must stay safe and stay together. Do not attract attention to yourselves. I am handling the problem. There is a reason that the Weaponry League is separate from the Council. We have our own authority to do things.”

            “I _AM_ part of the League. How am I supposed to not help you take care of this? Just give me the order and I will.” Link challenges. Impa looks at him sternly.

            “And I _AM_ your Commander. You want an order? I order you to protect your friends and stay under the radar until I give you further instructions. Update me on anything strange you see, you know the way I taught you. I will be gone awhile looking over things.” She looks at Link until he submits. She used his honor against him to make him agree, but I made no such agreement.

            “But if we only had more information-” I begin. Impa sighs and looks at me softer than before.

            “Listen. I know about the Triforce. I’ve always known before you go asking how. These dangerous people I am talking about WANT it. They are doing anything they can to take Midland over and terrorize people. This is why you need to not draw attention to yourselves. No one can know you have it. Please just listen to me and let me know if anything strange happens. Please. You two are important. To me and the world.” Her red eyes search mine.

            “Okay. I promise.” I sigh. I can’t help but wonder how she knows about Farore and Nayru, but then again, she knows everything about us before we do. She always has. Just like mom…

            “Thank you.” She breathes out relieved. She then makes sure we have everything she deems necessary before ushering us out to the edge of the woods. The trees look normal. I’ve never been into the Lost Woods before. They don’t look so scary.

            “One last thing… Link?” Impa waits for him to look at her.

            “Yeah?”

            “When the time comes, do not fight it.” Impa says vaguely before looking at Malon and I, “Don’t be afraid. It won’t be your fault.”

            “Okay?” Link replies. What the heck was that? What won’t be our fault? Impa throws a Deku Nut at the ground before she disappears. It’s a neat trick. I should use it sometime.

            “I hate when she goes cryptic like that.” I sigh. Malon looks spooked. She has been silent for hours and I can’t help but wonder if maybe we should have left her behind.

            “She is always right though.” Link says quietly before turning to the tree line. He paces until he finds a spot he likes. “We enter here.” Link steps forward into the tree line and waits until we are behind him. “Valor, stay with them in case we get lost.”

            “You got it.” She says before buzzing over in Malon’s direction.

            _“Normally people do not just walk head first into danger like this. I suppose he is Farore’s chosen one after all.”_ Nayru scoffs. She has, up until now, been very quiet since she got into a fight with Farore. It had been very difficult to get the sisters to stop fighting over who had the better strategic method to save Midna. The only thing they could agree on is that we have to save Midna because she was a crucial part of ‘ _The_ Plan.’ Whatever that meant, they won’t tell us. They are entirely convinced that something is very wrong though. It’s like they can feel it, in the air. I agree with them. Something has felt off about this whole day.

            _“He has more knowledge of the area than you or I do. If you keep talking negatively about him then I will not talk to you. We are all supposed to be a team.”_ I respond. Nayru goes silent. Finally. I win.

            The forest is quiet, almost as if something has absorbed the sound and put it into a jar. Even our footsteps make no noise. Link is tense. He scans around us every few seconds as if he expects something to jump out of the bushes. We stop at every tree with a face in the bark and we don’t move until Link has located the next one that he deems correct. Valor who normally will not stop talking is silent. Malon clings to my arm nervously. I try not to let the action make me feel giddy, I have to stay focused.

            We could have been walking for minutes or for hours. It is impossible to tell with all of this heavy fog around us. It presses on your shoulders tightly. I feel like I can’t breathe. I don’t even try to speak. Link trudges on until we approach a circle of light trying to poke its way through the thick air. As we get closer I can tell that it is a huge hollowed out tree that is forming a tunnel to a clearing where the air is lightly misty. Link frowns.

            “What is it? Shouldn’t we keep walking ahead?” I ask him. The clearing is empty save for some beautiful blue flowers and grass. If I squint enough, I can vaguely see a few tree stumps.

            “We need to be prepared for what’s in there.” He says as he goes to check the bag that Malon is carrying.

            “But it’s empty. We can stop to rest.” Malon suggests. Link shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose.

            “Trust me. It isn’t empty, I just don’t know what’s there. I’ve done terrible job of explaining this place to you. I’m sorry, I get so single minded. Okay, so only the stretch of forest between the Kokiri Forest, Kakariko village, the base of Death Mountain, and the edge of the Zora territory is considered the Lost Woods. At the center is Dark Mountain. There are many layers to this place. The Forest’s trials. First is the heavy fog filled layer that surrounds the whole place. In this fog, it is actually impossible to make any noise. If you get lost, the fog sends you back to the entrance, or if you are really unlucky the forest will trap you and change you. So that’s why we followed the special trees. That wasn’t even the hard part.” He pauses when Malon spoke up.

            “Is the fog over now?” She asks hopefully. Link frowns.

            “No, it’s not over. It just won’t be as heavy from now on. Next are a maze of clearings. And I do mean maze. Each clearing has something different and they always change. The magic of the fog sees to that. Sometimes it is a puzzle or a riddle, sometimes it is a monster den, or sometimes it contains a portal to another place. I don’t know what all is in here, I just know how to get around.”

            “What is after the maze?” I ask him. He frowns deeper.

            “If we can make it through, then after more of forest walking, we will hit the base of the mountain. That is when this will get a little crazy. It is crawling with those that the forest has claimed… I’ve only been there once when I was younger…” Link didn’t elaborate on the last part and it made me uneasy. After a bit we slowly walk through the large tunnel. Malon distractedly looks all around her as if she is looking for something.

            “Link, what’s that humming?” Malon asks. Link turns around and looks at her with a small smile.

            “You can hear it?” He asks.

            “Hear what?” I look around as if seeing the source of their conversation would help me hear it.

            “The music of the forest. The Kokiri call it Saria’s song. She is a guardian of forests.” He says contently making me realize that Link may live in town now, but his heart belongs to the wilderness.

            “It’s beautiful.” Malon says dreamily.

            “Saria’s song is our guide. That’s how the Kokiri don’t get lost in the maze. She sings to us… I mean them.” Link smiles broadly before making his face go blank again as he walks. I still can’t hear whatever song that they are hearing, but I decide that it’s good we have a guide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been having a hard time continuing this story.   
> I'm trying! It's just been difficult to find the motivation.  
> Thanks for reading.
> 
> XO


End file.
